Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has explained why William Saliba was sent off but Tosin Adarabioyo only saw yellow for a seemingly very similar foul over the weekend.
The Arsenal defender saw red in the 30th minute for taking down Bournemouth striker Evanilson. At first, he had been booked but it was upgraded after a VAR check. The Gunners went onto lose 2-0, marking their first defeat of the season.
The 23-year-old’s dismissal was Mikel Arteta’s side third in eight league games, following on from Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard against Brighton and Manchester City respectively.
All three have been deemed controversial in some quarters, with that sense of injustice only increasing with Tosin’s yellow card incident against Liverpool on Sunday.
"I thought that was the correct decision" ⚽
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Ref Watch analyses if it was the right call to send off Saliba 🟥 pic.twitter.com/3t2kzjWJ8B
The Chelsea defender took down Diogo Jota but there was no upgrade to a red card from VAR, leading to much debate online about the consistency of decisions.
However, Gallagher outlined the key differences for him between the incidents on Sky Sports News’ “Ref Watch”.
"It's a different situation," Gallagher said on Sky Sports News. "The ball is going down the middle. White is a long way from Evanilson, who is favourite to get the ball. Raya has backed off, so it's hard for him to get the ball."
Former England international Sue Smith added: "Would White have got there? It didn't look like he would. I thought for both this and the Tosin incident it was the right decision."
On Tosin, Gallagher said: “There are a number of things. Jota isn't in possession of the ball. Direction of the ball, it's going towards the corner flag. Distance from goal, it's felt Colwill would have the chance to make up the ground. Too many variables."
Despite the 67-year-old delivering his expert opinion, it is unlikely to quieten the unrest and discussion surrounding the standard of refereeing in the league.
