Midfielder Declan Rice was left frustrated after Arsenal were sent off again in their defeat to Bournemouth.
Declan Rice (blue) was frustrated with his teammate’s red card – Photo: REUTERS
On the morning of October 20, Arsenal had a disappointing match against Bournemouth in round 8 of the 2024-2025 Premier League. Coach Mikel Arteta and his team were defeated 0-2 away from home while playing with one less player.
William Saliba was sent off in the 30th minute. The French centre-back was penalised for attempting to tackle Bournemouth striker Evanilson.
Referee Rob Jones initially showed a yellow card, but after consulting VAR, he decided to show a straight red. Arsenal played with only 10 men for more than 60 minutes and lost.
The official Premier League account on X (formerly Twitter) explained: “VAR adjudged that William Saliba had committed a foul to deny a clear goalscoring opportunity and requested a review. The referee subsequently upgraded the yellow card to a red card.”
William Saliba (2) left the field after the referee changed the decision to a red card – Photo: REUTERS
This is not the first time the Gunners have been sent off controversially. Previously, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard were also sent off for inexplicable fouls.
In an interview after the match, midfielder Declan Rice expressed his frustration with his own and his teammates’ mistakes.
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“I am proud of the team for always giving their all even with 10 men on the pitch, but that is naive. We need 11 men to win the game in 90 minutes.
Arsenal cannot continue to make silly mistakes. The team needs the best players on the pitch. That’s the harshness of football. So the most important thing is that the whole team is united and on the right track” – Declan Rice shared.
Meanwhile, coach Mikel Arteta was also helpless: “Winning a game with 10 men in the Premier League is almost impossible. We have experienced that 3 times and this time we paid the price.”
The Spanish strategist is having a headache with the personnel problem at the moment. In the next round, Arsenal will face Liverpool while Saliba is not available due to suspension while Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka are still injured.