Jamie Carragher voiced his concerns on social media regarding Howard Webb’s possible involvement after William Saliba was shown a red card in Arsenal’s match against Bournemouth.
Initially, referee Rob Jones issued Saliba a yellow card for fouling Evanilson in the first half of Saturday’s Premier League game at The Vitality Stadium. However, after a VAR review, the yellow was upgraded to a red.
As a result, Saliba will miss the important match against Liverpool next weekend. Carragher speculated about Webb’s role in the decision, noting he was seen using his phone in the crowd, and questioned whether Webb influenced the red card.
After Saliba’s dismissal, Arsenal fans expressed their frustration by chanting against Webb and the PGMOL. The halftime score was still 0-0.
This incident adds to Mikel Arteta’s difficulties, as he is already without captain Martin Odegaard due to injury, although Arteta hinted on Friday that Odegaard might return for the Liverpool match. The Gunners also lacked Bukayo Saka, who was injured during international duty.
The Premier League later clarified that Saliba’s yellow card was changed to red during the match because he denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity. They explained that after the initial yellow card was issued, VAR recommended a review, resulting in the red.
Arsenal has dealt with several contentious decisions this season, including red cards for Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard, both receiving second yellows for delaying restarts, with Trossard’s occurring in last month’s title match against Manchester City.
