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The writing was on the wall for burgeoning teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly once Craig Pawson was sent over to the monitor.
It was a miserable Saturday afternoon for Arsenal, and the teenager's sending off, this time a deserved one following VAR intervention, was one of many things which went wrong for Mikel Arteta's side.
Their 1-0 defeat at home to West Ham only emboldened Liverpool, who now have one hand on the title after beating Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad on Sunday. A title tilt from north London was always unlikely after a quiet January and the injuries which followed, and many believe the weekend's results have thrust Arsenal out of the race with three months of the season remaining.
But the Gunners simply can't give up. They must go again. There's a quick turnaround from a dismal weekend with a midweek Premier League slate upcoming, although Arteta will have to make do without Lewis-Skelly.
Why Myles Lewis-Skelly will only miss one game after West Ham red card
Arsenal were successful in their appeal of Lewis-Skelly's harsh sending off at Wolves last month, but the teenager will be serving a suspension this time around. His dismissal was justified. David Raya's aggressive positioning meant Mohammed Kudus was denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity by the defender.
However, Lewis-Skelly will only serve a one-game suspension. Premier League rules stipulate that any player sent off for the denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity will not punished via a one-game ban as opposed to the typical three-game suspension typically associated with red cards.
Earlier this season, William Saliba only missed a single game (2-2 vs Liverpool) after he was sent off for bringing down Evanilson in the 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth.
#ARSWHU – 71’ VAR OVERTURN
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) February 22, 2025
VAR checked the referee’s call of yellow card to Lewis-Skelly for a challenge on Kudus – deeming it denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity due to the goalkeeper’s position and there being no covering defender, therefore recommended an on-field…
As a result, Lewis-Skelly will miss Arsenal's upcoming Premier League clash at Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night. The teenager has emerged as Arteta's preferred option at left-back in recent weeks, and his return to the bench on Saturday suggested that the boss had one eye on the midweek fixture. Riccardo Calafiori started instead of the Hale End graduate, but the Hale End struggled defensively and didn't cover himself in glory for the West Ham goal.
With Lewis-Skelly out, Arteta will likely retain Calafiori in his starting XI at the City Ground. However, he could also utilise Jurrien Timber at left-back after Ben White made his first appearance since November on Saturday. White's unlikely to be ready for a start, though.
Lewis-Skelly will be available for the Champions League round of 16 first leg against PSV Eindhoven next week as well as the trip to Old Trafford in the league on 9 March.