**BREAKING:** William Saliba’s red card has been overturned, allowing him to play against Liverpool. This decision follows a PGMOL review conducted this morning—great news for Arsenal fans.
Jamie Carragher raised questions on social media about whether Howard Webb intervened after Saliba’s dismissal during Arsenal’s match against Bournemouth. Referee Rob Jones initially issued a yellow card to the French defender for fouling Evanilson in the first half. However, VAR later upgraded the yellow card to red.
Saliba’s suspension would have meant missing the crucial match against Liverpool, leading Carragher to speculate on Webb’s involvement, especially after he was 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 reacted angrily towards Webb and the PGMOL, chanting, “F*** Howard Webb” after the incident, while the Gunners went into halftime without scoring.
Saliba’s red card added to Mikel Arteta’s challenges, as he 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 during international duty.
The Premier League issued a statement explaining the rationale for upgrading 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.