🔥🏟️BREAKING: William Saliba have officially been cleared to play against Liverpool, Decision taken this morning after F!FA intervention, Referee in action to be sanctioned and points to be shared today – Congratulations Arsenal fans

Jamie Carragher took to social media to question whether Howard Webb intervened after William Saliba was sent off during Arsenal’s match against Bournemouth.

The French defender initially received a yellow card from referee Rob Jones for bringing down Evanilson in the first half of Saturday’s Premier League game at The Vitality Stadium. However, VAR later upgraded the card to red.

Saliba’s red card means he will miss the crucial match against Liverpool next weekend. Carragher speculated whether Webb played a role in the decision, as the PGMOL chief was seen on his phone in the crowd.

In a now-deleted post on X, Carragher asked, “Was Howard Webb involved in the decision-making for Saliba’s red card?”

Arsenal fans quickly expressed their frustrations with Webb and the PGMOL, chanting, “F*** Howard Webb,” following Saliba’s dismissal. The match was still goalless at halftime.

Saliba’s exit adds to Mikel Arteta’s challenges, as he is already without captain Martin Ødegaard due to injury, though there are indications that the Norwegian could return for the Liverpool match. Additionally, Arsenal missed Bukayo Saka, who is sidelined after an injury during international duty.

The Premier League issued a statement clarifying the upgrade of Saliba’s yellow card to red, explaining that he denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

“The referee gave Saliba a yellow card for a challenge on Evanilson,” the statement noted. “The VAR deemed that Saliba denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and recommended an on-field review, leading the referee to upgrade the card.”

Arsenal has faced several controversial decisions this season, including red cards for Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard, both of whom received second yellows for delaying restarts, with Trossard’s occurring during last month’s title clash with Manchester City.