Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has hinted at a potential appeal to have William Saliba available for the upcoming match against Liverpool, potentially using the Reds’ win over Chelsea as part of their argument.
Saliba was sent off with a red card in Arsenal’s disappointing 2-0 loss to Bournemouth after bringing down Evanilson, which means he’s set to miss the Sunday showdown with Liverpool, who are now four points clear of Arsenal in the Premier League standings.
The incident mirrors one from Liverpool’s 2-1 triumph over Chelsea where Tosin Adarabioyo only received a yellow card for a similar foul on Diogo Jota, despite being further out wide and with another defender nearby.
Arteta, speaking on Monday, indicated that this discrepancy could be used by Arsenal if they choose to challenge Saliba’s suspension, stating: “I leave that one to the club to understand the circumstances. The examples that are very clear in the same position and they will have to decide.”
The Premier League Match Centre released a statement regarding Saliba’s contentious red card on Saturday, noting: “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.”
Arsenal’s season has seen them suffer setbacks in matches where their squad has been reduced to ten men, costing them a total of seven Premier League points thus far.
This trend began earlier in the season when Declan Rice saw red during the 1-1 draw against Brighton at home, and Leandro Trossard was sent off in the dramatic 2-2 deadlock against Manchester City.
Arsenal was also without Bukayo Saka for the defeat to Bournemouth, with captain Martin Odegaard still missing through injury. Arteta confirmed the pair were ‘progressing well’ ahead of the clash with Liverpool.
Arsenal faces Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League beforehand, with Arteta saying: “”Martin is not fit. With Bukayo let’s see how he is with the training session later on.”
