Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the 2024/25 campaign was ended by Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta’s side had a nightmare outing on the South Coast, losing 2-0 to the Cherries following William Saliba’s early dismissal.
The Frenchman was sent off on the half-hour mark before the interval, seeing Arsenal play the remainder of the game with 10 men.
While it was a major inconvenience to lose the centre-back, the Gunners showed little sign of taking the game, in what was a dismal display at the Vitality.
- READ MORE: Five things we learned as Arsenal’s unbeaten run ended at Bournemouth, Arteta gives up on player
Gabriel accused of Arsenal mistake against Bournemouth
There were several figures who could be placed in the blame category after the defeat although, as a collective, the standard was simply not good enough.
From Leandro Trossard’s poor pass to Saliba prior to his red card, to the Frenchman’s decision to haul Evanilson down, it was a bad day at the office for a number of players.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp made a surprise call for Gabriel Magalhaes playing a part in the defeat, as the former Tottenham midfielder spotted one thing the Brazilian did in the first half.
Dissecting Saliba’s red card on Sky Sports’ coverage of the fixture, Redknapp accused Gabriel of acting ‘guilty’.
“Your natural inclination is to panic, grab him and he’s [Saliba] thinking ‘what have I done?’
“Then Gabriel went to the referee and there’s a few guilty signs. It’s definitely a foul,” Redknapp explained.
The pundit spotted Gabriel rushing to referee Robert Jones to plead Saliba’s innocence, something that could be viewed as a guilt-stricken reaction to what his teammate had just done.
Redknapp went on to explain why he thought it was a red card, as the Frenchman ‘definitely’ denied a goalscoring opportunity, with the decision certainly splitting opinion.
Why William Saliba was sent off
As Saliba hauled down Evanilson on the half-hour mark at the Vitality, Arsenal hearts were in mouths as Jones was advised to review his on-field decision of a yellow card.
After VAR intervention, the referee showed the centre-back a red card, sending him off for denying a goalscoring opportunity.
Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott agreed that Saliba should have been sent off however, the rule book suggests that a yellow could have sufficed.
- Distance between the offence and the goal
- General direction of the play
- Likelihood of keeping or gaining control of the ball
- Location and number of defenders
As per the Premier League’s rule book, Saliba’s red card could be argued as an incorrect dismissal when revising that the distance between the offence and the goal was considerable.
The Frenchman has picked up a one-match ban for the foul and will subsequently miss Arsenal’s clash with Liverpool at Anfield.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
