Jack Wilshere was involved in a heated touchline confrontation with Barnsley manager Daniel Stendel after Luton Town's 2-1 victory over the Tykes on Tuesday evening. The win moved the Hatters up to 13th in League One, but the result was overshadowed by a late controversy.
Barnsley's Amani Richards received a yellow card for simulation in the dying moments, despite protesting that he had been fouled in the box. The decision sparked a fierce exchange between Wilshere and Stendel on the sidelines, with tensions boiling over once the referee blew the final whistle.
Handshake turns sour
The former Arsenal and England star approached Stendel for a handshake, but things quickly turned sour. Similar to the notorious handshake fracas between Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte, Wilshere jerked backwards and shoved the Barnsley manager away while jabbing his finger accusingly.
The pair were swiftly pulled apart as backroom staff from both teams rushed in, with Luton's goalkeeping coach Kevin Pilkington keeping a watchful eye on Stendel. The fracas escalated as players from both squads became embroiled before things eventually settled.
Managers play down the incident
When quizzed by the BBC about the fiery exchanges, Wilshere commented: "They want to win, we want to win. I have massive respect for them and what they're trying to do - I know they haven't got the results, but I can see what they're trying to do and they're a tough team to play because they've got some good players."
He added: "We got the win in the end and it got a bit heated but we shake hands in the end and everyone moves on. Sometimes you see how together we are. We're all together. We're respectful but sometimes as well it shows everyone that we are together and a few players were in there as well. You want to be respectful but also to show togetherness."
Stendel, facing increasing pressure after Barnsley's fifth consecutive loss across all competitions left them languishing in 22nd place, also attempted to play down the confrontation. "It was a misunderstanding between me and Jack Wilshere," he explained. "But I tried to talk with him [after the game] and I think it's not a big thing."
Stendel's frustration with his squad
The Barnsley boss hauled off three players at the interval and was left seething with his squad's display. "We cannot accept the performance like in the first half. We want to do so much," he stated.
"The atmosphere before the game in the locker room was so positive, and after one minute, the first set piece, we considered again the goal. And it's not a reason that we have not trained. It's not a reason why Luton is so good in that. It was the desire to defend the headers in this situation. And the second goal was the same. It was really frustrating in the half-time and I was a little bit louder."
