Premier League Releases Two Arsenal VAR Statements After Bournemouth Drama: Red Card and Penalty Explained
Arsenal’s recent defeat to Bournemouth saw two key decisions involving VAR that heavily impacted the game, prompting the Premier League to issue statements explaining these controversial moments.
Arsenal, who were reduced to 10 men following William Saliba’s red card and later conceded a penalty, found themselves on the wrong end of VAR interventions.
The first major incident occurred when Saliba was sent off after initially receiving a yellow card for a challenge on Evanilson.
VAR recommended the referee review the incident, determining that Saliba had denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. As a result, the yellow card was upgraded to red, leaving Arsenal to play the majority of the match with 10 men.
The second contentious moment came when David Raya, Arsenal’s goalkeeper, conceded a penalty.
Raya was shown only a yellow card due to the “double jeopardy” rule, which prevents players from being sent off if there is a genuine attempt to play the ball inside the box.
While Raya’s challenge was penalized, it was deemed that his attempt to prevent the attacker from scoring was legitimate, sparing him a red card.
Despite these decisions, Arsenal’s performance was underwhelming, with Declan Rice criticizing the team for putting unnecessary pressure on themselves. Unlike previous matches, such as their efforts against Brighton and Manchester City where they managed to hold out after going a man down, Arsenal struggled to recover against Bournemouth, ultimately leading to their defeat.
The Premier League’s clarifications on both VAR decisions aim to provide transparency, but for Arsenal, the focus will now shift to addressing their on-pitch issues as they attempt to bounce back from a difficult result.
Premier League Releases Two Arsenal VAR Statements After Bournemouth Drama: Red Card and Penalty Explained
