Premier League give good reason for William Saliba purple card in Arsenal vs Bournemouth

On Oct 19, 2024

The Premier League has justified the decision to send off Arsenal defender William Saliba against Bournemouth in the Gunners’ 2-0 defeat.

Initially handed a yellow by referee Rob Jones for fouling Evanilson, Saliba saw his booking escalated to a dismissal upon VAR’s recommendation and the official’s subsequent pitchside review. It is the third time this season Mikel Arteta‘s ill-disciplined side have received red cards in just eight league games and they paid the price by losing their unbeaten record this term.

The ruling, broadcast by the Premier League match centre via social media, explained: “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.”

Arsenal will now be without Saliba for their critical showdown with Liverpool at the Emirates next weekend. However, they could try to appeal the decision, as Manchester United successful did with Bruno Fernandes’ dismissal against Tottenham earlier this season, reports the Mirror.

Providing analysis on BBC Radio 5 Live, ex-Premier League player Danny Gabbidon commented: “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.”

William Saliba dragged down Evanilson leading to his red card

Evanilson’s predicament might have left him with work still to do, but the absence of defensive cover spelt trouble for Saliba who, according to Gabbidon, panicked, leading to desperate measures to stop the Bournemouth forward’s advance.

The Gunners were dealt a double setback as star player Bukayo Saka was also sidelined due to an injury sustained on international duty with England. Arteta, speaking to Sky Sports, explained the situation regarding Saka.

He said: “We tried the last few days [to get him fit],” and “He didn’t have the right feeling, so we decided there was no point pushing him. That’s why we have various options. It is a good test for the team.”

To compound Arsenal’s woes, they were without Martin Odegaard, who has been recovering from an ankle injury he got playing for Norway last month. This led to Arsenal facing Bournemouth without either their captain or Saka for the first time since January 2021.