Kristina Roberts
A dream start to the Premier League season took a terrible crash for Arsenal on Saturday as it slumped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. The Gunners were dealt another blow when young defender William Saliba was sent off for a challenge on Evanilson, with the red card confirmed after a VAR review.
In fact, the red card delivered more complications to the Arsenal’s fight to regain the match. For Mikel Arteta’s side now, it is a regrouping and re-focusing exercise ahead of their Champions League tie against Shakhtar Donetsk in their next fixture.
Deconstructing The Red Card:
The Premier League has stated that Saliba was given the red card because he was initially yellow-carded for the challenge he made on Evanilson near the halfway line. VAR termed it a denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity, hence leading Rob Jones to upgrade it to a red card. The dismissal puts the name of Saliba on the growing list of Arsenal players who have received a red card in this season, following the one by Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard.
Rice Cries out for Discipline:
Declan Rice was asked after the match, which stated that Arsenal should not make mistakes of this kind. After all, they have been lucky in their previous matches against Brighton and Manchester City but must make sure they play with a full eleven throughout the course of the game.
“We’ve kicked ourselves in the foot three times in eight games, said Rice. “We need to stop making silly mistakes. You need all your best players on the pitch at all times.”
While being very effusive in praise of the spirit of the team for staying in the game with ten men, Rice noted missed opportunity as Martinelli or the defensive lapse which brought in Bournemouth’s second goal. He reminded them about remaining focused and disciplined for what their goals are.
Clearing the Webb Confusion:
The PGMOL has cleared the air regarding Howard Webb’s appearance at Vitality Stadium after Saliba received his red card. Howard Webb is a former referee of Premier League matches and, during the encounter, sported an earpiece. That led to wild guesses as to his role. The PGMOL clears that Howard Webb was not officiating but was there for observation purposes only.
Ahead
The Gunners have been dealt a double blow going into the biggest week of the Premier League season: their undefeated streak has been ended and a star player of theirs suspended for a red card. The red card means Saliba will miss the crucial Premier League clash against Liverpool next weekend, which is typically the highlight of the domestic football calendar in England. However the Gunners will have an opportunity to bounce back in the Champions League before returning to domestic competition.
The article was rewritten in a style that was more persuasive, avoided awkwardly worded sentences, the title was shortened, the focus put on the story rather than the words used for the title, transitions added, and some points were explained in detail to be better understood.
