“It’s a Subjective Decision” – Former Premier League Referee Reacts to William Saliba’s Red Card Against Bournemouth
Arsenal suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season against Bournemouth as William Saliba was shown a red card. Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert found the net at the Vitality Stadium, securing the win.
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has weighed in on the incident, stating that there are three reasons why William Saliba should not have been sent off.
With Saliba’s dismissal, Bournemouth capitalized on their numerical advantage to secure victory. The Gunners dropped points after going down to 10 men for the third time this season. Arsenal had to endure an hour without Saliba after the French defender was sent off in the first half.
Saliba’s dismissal came after he brought down Bournemouth forward Evanilson on the halfway line. Initially, he was shown a yellow card, but VAR determined that Saliba had denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Following an on-field review, referee Rob Jones upgraded the yellow card to a red.
As a result of the red card, Saliba will be suspended for Arsenal’s upcoming clash with Liverpool.
However, former referee Halsey argues that VAR should not have intervened. He believes that Saliba’s challenge did not meet three of the four necessary criteria for a red card to be issued.
“It’s a subjective decision, so I didn’t think VAR Jarred Gillett needed to get involved,” Halsey told the Sun. “For the denial of a goalscoring opportunity, we look at four key criteria. And I had doubts over three of those.
“The distance between the offence and the goal was lengthy, the general direction of play saw the ball coming across Evanilson and not in front of him and also the location and number of defenders was questionable.
“The likelihood of him keeping or gaining control of the ball would have probably been in the favour of the Cherries forward because David Raya was back-pedalling towards his own goal.”
Although there seems to be some controversy surrounding the decision to issue Saliba a red card, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice expressed his frustration with his team’s lack of awareness. Despite this, the England international appreciated the determination his side displayed.
In an interview with Sky Sports following the loss, Rice stated: “We’ve kicked ourselves in the foot three times in eight games and we got away with it at home to Brighton and away at Manchester City. Bournemouth kept probing and made it 2-0.
“I’m proud of the players for fighting, even with 10 men, but the naivety, we need to stop making mistakes because you want 11 players for 90 minutes and that’s what wins you football matches.
“With 10 men we showed a lot of character and personality to stay in the game. The big chance was Martinelli’s and the keeper read it and made a great save and one minute later, normally a routine we are so strong at, has done us.
“We can’t make silly mistakes. You need all your best players on the pitch at all times. The belief is so high and we will stick together. This is football, whatever happens the most important thing is that you stick together and stay in the right direction.”
In other news, 10 Duels Won, 100% Dribbles, 7 Recoveries: 25y/o Star Was Arsenal’s Best Player Against Bournemouth Yesterday
