Arsenal's William Saliba walking off after his red card against Bournemouth(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)

William Saliba sent off after VAR check with Arsenal star to miss Liverpool clash

Arsenal defender William Saliba was initially shown a yellow card for a foul on Bournemouth striker Evanilson but the French defender was then sent off after the incident was checked by VAR

by · Irish Mirror

Arsenal will be without William Saliba for their crunch Premier League match against Liverpool after the centre-back was sent off against Bournemouth.

The French international was initially shown a yellow card by referee Rob Jones after a foul on Evanilson. However, after being encouraged to review the decision following a VAR check, Jones upgraded the card to a red.

Arsenal will take on Liverpool in their next Premier League game on October 27. While Saliba will be suspended for that match, he will at least be available for the Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek.

The Premier League Match Centre account explained the overturn on social media, saying: "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."

It rounded off a difficult week for club and country for Saliba. The former Saint-Etienne star endured a tough time during France's UEFA Nations League game against Belgium, prompting criticism from the media in his home country.

Arsenal were dealt a blow in the lead-up to the game, with Bukayo Saka missing out through injury. The England star joined Martin Odegaard on the absentee list, with the club captain yet to return from the injury he picked up on Norway duty in September.

It was far from the first time Arsenal have been at the centre of a contentious red card decision this season. Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard were both shown second bookings for delaying the restart in recent weeks, with Trossard's dismissal forcing Mikel Arteta's team to play 45 minutes with 10 men against Manchester City.

Should William Saliba have been sent off? Have your say in the comments section

Referee Rob Jones checked the VAR monitor before upgrading Saliba's yellow card to a red(Image: AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)

PGMOL chief Howard Webb was in attendance for the match, having previously spoken publicly about a number of contentious refereeing decisions this season, and pundit Jamie Carragher queried the former referee's role. "Was Howard Webb involved in the decision making of the red card for Saliba??" Carragher wrote in a now-deleted social media post.

A number of Gunners fans voiced their own frustrations on social media, with plenty arguing Saliba should have stayed on the pitch. "Not sure how you can deny an obvious goal-scoring opportunity 5 yards into your own half..." one argued.

"So what did the ref not see that he thought it was a yellow?" asked another, adding: "That’s baffling. It was miles away from goal, Ben [White] was getting back and the ball was quite wide."

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