Mikel Arteta has admitted it will be down to the club as to whether Arsenal appeal William Saliba‘s red card against Bournemouth on Saturday. Saliba picked up Arsenal’s third red card of the season for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity when hauling down Evanilson.
When asked about an appeal, Arteta said on Monday: “I leave that more to the club to understand the circumstances and other examples that are very clear in the same position and they will have to decide it.”
Much has been made of the red card, particularly the proximity to the goal, with Saliba fouling the Cherries striker just over the halfway line. He would have had to run half the length of the pitch before taking a shot at goal.
Then there was the incident the following day involving Tosin Adarabioyo and Diogo Jota during the Liverpool vs Chelsea clash. It was similar, with the Chelsea defender picking up a yellow card that VAR did not intervene with.
Referees are told to consider four things when deciding if a foul has denied a clear goalscoring opportunity.