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Arsenal have received their fourth red card of the Premier League season, with Myles Lewis-Skelly sent off against Wolves.
Lewis-Skelly was shown a straight-red card by referee Michael Oliver in the 43rd minute for a doul on Matt Doherty.
With Wolves defending a corner at Molineux, the home side looked to start a counter-attack after clearing their box.
The ball fell to Wolves full-back Doherty, who took it in his stride as his team-mates ran forward.
But Doherty was then caught by Lewis-Skelly’s outstretched right leg, going down about 10 yards outside of Wolves’ box.
Lewis-Skelly, however, was shown a straight-red card for “serious foul play”.
The Premeir League Match Centre confirmed: “The referee’s call of a red card for Lewis-Skelly was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed his challenge to have been serious foul play.”
Arsenal’s players were furious at the decision, with Lewis-Skelly’s challenge looking fairly innocuous, even if it was a cynical trip to stop the counter-attack.
Though because Lewis-Skelly was ruled to have made contact above Doherty’s ankle, the VAR did not intervene or overrule the on-field decision.
According to the Premier League, “high and full and forceful contact on ankle or above is considered dangerous” and can therefore result in a red card.
The dismissal left Arsenal down to 10 players for the second half against Wolves and was the fourth red card shown to Mikel Arteta’s side this season.
Declan Rice, William Saliba and Leandro Trossard have also been sent off this Premier League season, with Arsenal failing to win any of those games.
Rice was sent off for delaying the restart in the 1-1 draw against Brighton, Saliba was shown red was denying a goal-scoring opportunity in the defeat at Bournemouth, while Trossard’s was for stopping play in the 2-2 draw at Manchester City.
Arsenal started the day eight points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, who were 3-0 up against Ipswich at half-time. The Reds also have a game in hand.
