Arsenal stormed into a comfortable lead away at PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, but were arguably somewhat fortunate to come away from one particular incident unscathed.
The Gunners produced an excellent first half display in the Netherlands, scoring three times in the opening 35 minutes as they put Peter Bosz’ side to the sword.
Jurrien Timber nodded the North Londoners in front early on, before Ethan Nwaneri’s emphatic finish and Mikel Merino’s curler increased the deficit.
However, the story of the opening 45 minutes could’ve been very different had the referee not shown some leniency with Mikel Arteta’s team.
Chris Sutton slams referee decision not to send Myles Lewis-Skelly off
With the game poised at 2-0 to Arsenal, Myles Lewis-Skelly was shown a yellow card for a late foul deep inside his own half.
Two minutes later, the teenager tripped Richard Ledezma on the edge of the Arsenal box, and the referee opted against sending him off.
Alan Shearer claimed Lewis-Skelly should’ve seen red for the double infringement, and his former Blackburn strike partner agreed with this sentiment.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Chris Sutton said on the incident: “It is so naive from Myles Lewis-Skelly. It is a foul which warrants a second yellow.
“He is so fortunate to get away with that. That’s a bit of a shocker from the referee.”
Lewis-Skelly was replaced by Riccardo Calafiori shortly after, with Arteta clearly concerned that the Hale End graduate could see red if he continued in the same vein.
The referee later awarded PSV a penalty after Thomas Partey was adjudged to have fouled Luuk de Jong inside the Arsenal box.
Noting on this decision from the referee, Sutton said: “Luuk de Jong makes a run across Thomas Partey and Partey does catch him.
“This will not be overturned.”
Myles Lewis-Skelly’s rashness is a concern for Arsenal
Lewis-Skelly was sent off against West Ham a week or so ago, and it’s clear that he can struggle to maintain his discipline at times.
While it’s likely an issue of not being accustomed to defending in wide areas or deep on the pitch, having been raised a midfielder, it is an aspect of his game that needs toning.
Arteta and his coaching staff will no doubt be looking to ensure that this doesn’t become a running theme in Lewis-Skelly’s game, otherwise his rapid development could hit a wall.
His dismissal against Wolves may have been harsh, but it’s clear that the starlet struggles to stay on his feet at times.
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