The Premier League has revealed the justification for Myles Lewis-Skelly’s controversial red card for Arsenal against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Euro Sport reports.
The Arsenal defender was given a straight red card on 43 minutes, but the circumstances drew plenty of criticism from fans and observers given the harsh interpretation of the rules.
Arsenal had a corner, which Wolves were able to quickly clear. Matt Doherty picked the ball up close to his own side’s penalty area and looked to launch a counter-attack through the middle of the pitch, as Mikel Arteta’s men tried to race back to protect their own goal.
Arsenal are one of several clubs who have led the way in the use of tactical fouls, where players risk incurring a yellow card with cynical trips or tugs to prevent nascent attacks from their opponents.
It seemed that Lewis-Skelly was attempting such a move when he clipped the heels of Doherty, sending him to the ground.
Even Arsenal players would have been left unsurprised to see their 18-year-old defender receiving a yellow card as a result, but instead, referee Michael Oliver was quick to brandish a straight red card.
With the use of VAR prevalent in Premier League games, many would have expected Oliver to be invited to check his decision once again with video assistance, but there was no such invitation, with the system backing the referee’s on-pitch decision.
During half-time, the Premier League issued an explanation for the decision on their ‘Match Centre’ X account, stating: “The referee’s call of a red card for Lewis-Skelly was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed his challenge to have been serious foul play.”
The red card may be appealed by Arsenal if they believe there has been a wrongful decision.
Despite playing much of the second half with a numerical disadvantage, Arsenal earned a valuable 1-0 win thanks to Riccardo Calafiori’s strike, shortly after Joao Gomes had also seen red for Wolves.
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