Howard Webb admits Mateo Kovacic should have been sent off in Man City's 1-0 defeat by Arsenal after Michael Oliver failed to show him a second yellow card

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Manchester City's Mateo Kovacic should have seen red against Arsenal, Howard Webb admitted on Tuesday night, as the refereeing body PGMOL owned up to yet another major mistake.

For the second successive weekend, the biggest game in the Premier League was overshadowed by an officiating error. 

Referee Michael Oliver failed to dismiss Kovacic when he fouled Declan Rice while already on a yellow card, a week after Luis Diaz's opener for Liverpool at Tottenham was wrongly disallowed for offside. 

Speaking for the first time since the Diaz debacle on the PGMOL's Match Officials Mic'd Up programme, Webb confessed that mistake harmed the refereeing body's reputation.

Webb admitted Kovacic was fortunate to escape a straight red for a foul on Martin Odegaard, for which he only received a yellow, saying: 'This is clearly a poor tackle and I'm confident if a red card had been given by Michael Oliver on the day, it would have been a very straightforward "check complete", but he doesn't.'

Howard Webb admitted that Mateo Kovacic was fortunate to remain on the pitch on Sunday

Kovacic came under heavy scrutiny for this two robust challenges against Arsenal

Man City's Croatian midfielder first fouled Martin Odegaard before a challenge on Declan Rice

On Kovacic's follow-up foul on Rice, Webb said: 'Second yellows are something the VAR is not able to get involved in. 

'But he was extremely fortunate to stay on the field. (Oliver) doesn't want to have a negative impact on the game by overreacting to something… but it is also true that if you under-react you have a negative impact. 

'He will realise the second one should have been a yellow card, which would have seen Kovacic sent off.'

Numerous pundits and former referees have voiced their own opinions in the ensuing days, with Gary Neville and Mark Clattenburg both claiming that the player should have seen the red. 

The show is designed to help fans understand more about the refereeing process in the top-flight, with certain VAR calls and real-time decisions dissected on television. 

Tuesday evening's programme saw Webb and pundit Michael Owen discuss the controversial disallowed Luis Diaz goal from Liverpool's defeat to Tottenham the weekend previous. 

The goal was disallowed despite the player being clearly onside, due to a miscommunication by the VARs who thought they were checking to confirm the goal was onside, rather than offside. 

Kovacic avoided a second yellow for a challenge on Declan Rice - which Webb admitted was wrong

PGMOL chief Webb was joined by former Liverpool and Man United forward Michael Owen