Arsenal vs Chelsea: Arsene Wenger urges FA to investigate Diego Costa as striker deserved red card

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hit out at referee Mike Dean after the Gunners lost 2-0 at Chelsea on Saturday, 19 September, with both Gabriel Paulista and Santi Cazorla being sent off. The French boss admitted the Brazilian centre-back deserved the red card for kicking out at Diego Costa, but believes the Spanish striker should also have been sent off before for shoving his hand into the face of Laurent Koscielny.

The former Villarreal defender saw the red card before half-time kicking out at Costa just seconds after the controversial striker shoved his hand in the face of Koscielny. Dean decided to sent off Gabriel but just booked Costa. The Premier League champions then took their numerical advantage to secure the victory thanks to the goals of Kurt Zouma and Eden Hazard in the second half.

"It was surprising Costa got away with what he did. He can do whatever he wants and anyone who responds to him gets sent off. It's unacceptable his behaviour - if you look at the pictures what he does to Koscielny before he pushes him down, he hits him in the face before the throw," he said. He always get away with it and honestly it's surprising. I don't understand Mike Dean's decision at all, not why Diego Costa stays on the pitch.

"Gabriel is sent off - okay I accept he hasn't to react - and after that on their first goal I couldn't see a free-kick [in the build-up]."

And questioned whether the FA should open an investigation to ban Costa for three games for his incident with Koscielny, he replied: "That's the least they could do but he will do the same again next week and get away with it."

"He is always provoking and he uses the naivety of Mike Dean. Look at the pictures, it tells you a lot on the slow motion. Before the cross comes in he hits him. You expect that sort of game, we were not surprised, but you expect the referee to make the right decision," he said.

"I don't want to judge overall but today I think it is surprising he got away with what he did. I don't want to judge Mike Dean as I don't watch all the games he referees. For me it has nothing to do with strength, it is just making the right decision. That's all you want. "