REVEALED: Why Saliba will only miss one game for Arsenal despite getting a direct red card

1 month ago 5

Arsenal lost for the first time this season after they were beaten 2-0 by a dominant Bournemouth side on October 19
The Gunners were forced to play with 10 men for large periods of the game after William Saliba was sent off
Legit.ng explains why the French defender was red-carded and how many games he will miss for Mikel Arteta

Arsenal's unbeaten start to the new Premier League season came to a crashing halt on Saturday evening after they lost to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

It was a dominant performance from the home side as they convincingly beat the title hopefuls 2-0.

Second-half goals from substitutes Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert did enough damage to Mikel Arteta's side.

Why Saliba's yellow card was upgraded to red

Arteta was forced to watch his side play with 10 men for the third time this season after William Saliba was sent off in the 30th minute.

The French defender was dismissed for a last man's challenge on Evanilson. Referee Rob Jones had initially given him a yellow card, but upon a VAR review, the decision was upgraded to a direct red card, as explained by PL Matchcentre.

Why William Saliba was sent off vs Bournemouth

Saliba's offence was the denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, normally abbreviated as DOGSO. IFAB Law 12 clearly outlines how such a mistake will be judged.

"A player is sent off denying a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent whose overall movement is towards the offender’s goal."

Evanilson might have been further away from goal but given that there was no other defender near Saliba, he was through in a 1v1 situation. The VAR adjudged Ben White to have been further right.

An offside check was also quickly cleared after it emerged that Leandro Trossard was the one who passed the ball backwards. Saliba, therefore, received his first senior red card.

How many games will William Saliba miss?

The 23-year-old will now sit out of Arsenal's next Premier League when current league leaders Liverpool travel to the Emirates.

Direct red cards normally carry a suspension of two or more games, but when given under a DOGSO offence, it is treated as two yellow cards, and therefore, a player only misses one game.

Premier League cards aren't transferrable to UEFA competitions, so Saliba will be available for selection in Arsenal's midweek Champions League fixture against Shakhtar Donetsk.