Sky Sports have dismissed claims PGMOL chief Howard Webb played a role in the decision to send off William Saliba during Arsenal’s defeat to Bournemouth.

Saliba was shown a red card at the Vitality Stadium after tangling up with Evanilson and bringing the Bournemouth striker down as he went to race through on goal.

Referee Robert Jones initially showed Saliba a yellow but was advised to consult the pitchside monitor by the Video Assistant Referee and proceeded to upgrade the yellow to a red.

Arsenal felt aggrieved by the decision, which came inside the opening half an hour, as the incident occurred just inside their half but former players Theo Walcott and Jamie Redknapp both said the correct decision was made.

Many Arsenal fans also questioned if former referee Webb influenced the decision from the stands as the referee chief was seen texting and talking on his phone as VAR checked the incident.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher and sports presenter Richard Keys were even among those questioning if Webb played a role in the sending off.

‘Was Howard Webb involved in the decision making of the red card of Saliba?’ Carragher asked in a now-deleted social media post.

After Bournemouth’s 2-0 win over Arsenal, Sky Sports presenter David Jones attempted to clarify the situation, saying Webb was listening to the officials communicate but had ‘no input’ into the decision.

‘You might have seen on social media, there have been one or two people speculating about what Howard Webb was up to in the crowd [during the VAR check],’ Jones said.

‘He’s got that earpiece in, he’s got his phone out. What we understand he’s doing is he’s listening to a match feed of the VAR officials and their communication with the on-field officials, just as we do as broadcasters.

‘But he has no input and has no ability to talk to the officials who are actually making the decisions. Just to clear that up for you.’

The Premier League also explained why VAR upgraded Saliba’s yellow card to a red, writing on X: ‘The referee gave Saliba a yellow card for a challenge on Evanilson.

‘The VAR deemed that Saliba denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and recommended an on-field review. The referee then upgraded the yellow to a red card.’

Arsenal attempted to grind out a result after going down to 10 men but second-half goals from Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert condemned the Gunners to their first defeat of the season.

Cherries boss Andoni Iraola said: ‘It was quite a mature win because it is a tricky situation [playing against 10 men].

‘We started well for the first 30 minutes and then the red card changes the game. We had to control the game, attack but don’t lose our minds as even with 10 men, set plays, free-kicks they can be a threat.

‘Luckily for us we took the benefit of having one man more.’

Saliba’s red card means he will miss next weekend’s clash against current Premier League leaders Liverpool.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MORE : Erik ten Hag reveals two second half changes that inspired Man Utd comeback

MORE : Thomas Frank praises Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen for ‘running the show’ against Brentford

MORE : Manchester United star called ‘embarrassing’ despite comeback win over Brentford

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.