William Saliba's Red Card Explained: Premier League Clarifies Decision

William Saliba, Arsenal's defender, was handed a red card in their 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth, and the Premier League has now provided clarity on the reasoning behind the decision. The incident occurred when Saliba brought down Evanilson, prompting referee Rob Jones to initially issue a yellow card.

However, following a VAR review, Jones was advised to re-examine the incident on the pitchside monitor. After reassessing the challenge, Jones upgraded the yellow card to a red card.

According to the Premier League's official match centre social media account:

"The referee gave Saliba a yellow card for a challenge on Evanilson. The VAR deemed that Saliba denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and recommended an on-field review. The referee then upgraded the yellow to a red card."

This decision means Saliba will serve a suspension, forcing him to miss Arsenal's highly anticipated clash with Liverpool next Sunday.