The Premier League has clarified the circumstances leading to William Saliba’s red card during Arsenal’s clash with Bournemouth after a VAR intervention.
Initially shown a yellow for his foul on Evanilson while he was last man, referee Rob Jones changed it to a red after VAR prompted him to the screen to re-evaluate the incident.
After checking the replays, the French defender was shown a straight red and will now miss the clash against Liverpool next weekend.
The Premier League have now explained their rationale behind the decision via their match centre social media account: “The referee gave Saliba a yellow card for a challenge on Evanilson.
The VAR deemed that Saliba denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and recommended an on-field review. The referee then upgraded the yellow to a red card.
The ruling sidelines Saliba for Arsenal’s upcoming Premier League fixture against Liverpool, unless the Gunners can overturn the suspension as Manchester United did for Bruno Fernandes earlier in the month.
Commenting on the situation, ex-Premier League defender Danny Gabbidon remarked on BBC Radio 5 Live, “There wasn’t any cover really but you think with William Saliba’s pace he would have come back. However the arms come out and he drags down Evanilson.
That is a game changer for Bournemouth. Evanilson had a lot to do, a long way from goal but there wasn’t any cover to save William Saliba. The defender panics and tries to react but he could only bring down the forward.
Saliba’s dismissal served as another setback for the Gunners, following Bukayo Saka’s absence due to an injury sustained while on international duty with England.
