Jamie Carragher took to social media to question whether Howard Webb stepped in after William Saliba was sent off in Arsenal’s match with Bournemouth.
The French defender was initially shown a yellow card by referee Rob Jones after hauling down Evanilson in the first half of Saturday evening’s Premier League fixture at The Vitality Stadium. The card was upgraded to red, though, when VAR intervened shortly after.
Saliba’s dismissal means he will miss next weekend’s crunch showdown with Liverpool – and former Reds defender Carragher wondered whether Webb was involved in the U-turn after the PGMOL chief was shown speaking on his phone in the crowd.
Arsenal fans were quick to vent their frustrations at Webb and the PGMOL, chanting: “F*** Howard Webb” in the aftermath of Saliba’s red card. The Gunners went in at the break with the match still goalless.
Saliba’s dismissal is another issue for Mikel Arteta to contend with. The Spaniard is already without captain Martin Odegaard due to injury, though he hinted on Friday that the Norwegian playmaker could be fit enough to face Liverpool next week.
