William Saliba receives red card against Bournemouth that will see him miss HUGE fixture

Arsenal defender William Saliba will miss a crucial fixture in the Premier League calendar after being shown a red card during Saturday's clash with Bournemouth.

Saliba, who has been one of Arsenal's standout performers in the opening weeks of the season, was sent off in the 30th minute after fouling Evanilson, denying him a clear goal scoring opportunity.

The French defender was initially shown a yellow card by referee Rob Jones, but it was later upgraded to a red card after a review by VAR.

In fact, it was the first red card of Saliba's career to date.

With Arsenal set to compete in a huge Premier League fixture next weekend, the suspension could not have come at a worse time for Mikel Arteta.

Saliba's red card means that he will be absent from next week's clash against league leaders Liverpool at the Emirates.

Here's how fans on social media reacted to the scenes.

One said: "Not only are Arsenal playing another game with 10 men, they are also doing so without Saliba, Odegaard and Saka. Their best defender, best midfielder and best forward. It's another huge (mostly self-inflicted) test."

A second wrote: "FFS. Another ridiculous red card against Arsenal. That was an absolute joke," and a third commented: "Poor challenge from Saliba, deserved red."

A fourth added: "As annoying as VAR is sometimes, there are certain situations where it undoubtedly serves as a barometer of justice. That was a red for William Saliba all day long, and Rob Jones was well within his rights to change the color of the card."

Poor challenge from Saliba, deserved red pic.twitter.com/TJVKJ0GPzX

— Roberto Rojas (@RobertoRojas97) October 19, 2024

The Premier League Match Centre account have since explained the decision to overturn Saliba's card.

They said: "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."