**BREAKING:** William Saliba’s red card has been overturned, allowing him to play against Liverpool. This decision follows a PGMOL review conducted this morning—congratulations to Arsenal fans.
Jamie Carragher raised questions on social media about whether Howard Webb intervened after Saliba’s dismissal during Arsenal’s match against Bournemouth. Initially, referee Rob Jones issued a yellow card to the French defender for bringing down Evanilson in the first half. However, VAR later intervened, leading to the yellow card being upgraded to red.
Saliba’s red card would have meant missing the crucial match against Liverpool, prompting Carragher to speculate if Webb was involved in the decision, especially after being seen on his phone in the stands.
In a now-deleted post on X, Carragher asked, “Did Howard Webb have a role in the red card decision for Saliba?”
Arsenal fans expressed their anger towards Webb and the PGMOL, chanting, “F*** Howard Webb” following the incident. The Gunners went into halftime without any goals.
Saliba’s red card adds to Mikel Arteta’s challenges, as the manager is already missing captain Martin Ødegaard due to injury. Arteta hinted on Friday that Ødegaard might be fit to face Liverpool next week. Additionally, Bukayo Saka was absent against Bournemouth due to an injury sustained on international duty.
The Premier League issued a statement explaining the rationale behind the upgrade of Saliba’s yellow card to red, stating that he denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity. “The referee issued Saliba a yellow card for his challenge on Evanilson. The VAR determined it was a denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and recommended an on-field review, leading to the upgrade to a red card,” the statement clarified.
Arsenal has faced several controversial calls this season, including red cards for Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard, both of whom received second yellow cards for delaying restarts, with Trossard’s occurring in a recent match against Manchester City.