Why Arsenal's David Raya wasn't sent off despite committing serious foul emerges

• Fans were left wondering why David Raya wasn't sent off during Arsenal's game against Bournemouth on Saturday
• A short backpass from Jakub Kiwior saw the Arsenal goalkeeper concede a penalty after bringing down Evanilson
• But as Legit.ng explains, the referee was right not to send Raya off as Arsenal succumbed to their first loss of the season

Arsenal registered a rare loss after they went 2-0 down to Bournemouth on October 19. The Gunners had to play a huge part of the game with 10 men after William Saliba's red card.

It could have gone from bad to worse for Mikel Arteta's side after David Raya escaped a red card by a whisker in the latter stages.

The incident between David Raya and Evanilson that led to a penalty for Bournemouth on October 19, 2024. Photo by Mike Hewitt.
Source: Getty Images

A mistake from substitute Jakub Kiwior released Evanilson through on goal. Raya quickly came out in an attempt to shut down the Brazilian striker but ended up fouling him inside the area.

Referee Rob Jones immediately pointed to the spot as the Vitality crowd waited to see what would happen to Raya.

Was David Raya booked vs Bournemouth?

After a VAR review, the penalty was confirmed but Raya remained on the pitch as well. Multiple reports indicate the Spanish custodian was booked, but the official Premier League website shows he wasn't.

Now, why did Raya avoid a red card despite committing such a grievous act as the last line of defence?

Why David Raya did not see red vs Bournemouth

Like Saliba, Raya ought to have been punished under the Denial of a Goal-Scoring Opportunity (DOGSO). His case was, however, different because the offence took place inside his penalty area.

"Where a player denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by committing a deliberate handball offence, the player is sent off wherever the offence occurs (except a goalkeeper within their penalty area)," says IFAB laws.

Double jeopardy rule in football

The Raya case goes back to the double jeopardy rules, where a player is only cautioned if he committed the foul inside the area after making a deliberate attempt to play the ball. The rule was introduced to avoid double punishment, where a team concedes a penalty and gets a player sent off as well.

Had the former Brentford man committed the offence outside his penalty area, there is a good possibility he would have walked like Saliba.

Raya failed to save the resultant penalty as Justin Kluivert tucked it home to extend the Cherries' lead to 2-0.

How many games Saliba will miss

Legit.ng had earlier reported why Saliba will only miss one game despite getting a direct red card vs Bournemouth.

Saliba was sent off after a last-man challenge on Evanilson, with the VAR recommending that the on-field yellow card be upgraded to a red card.

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Source: TUKO.co.ke