William Saliba’s sending-off against Bournemouth last Saturday grabbed all the headlines as several pundits weighed in on the controversial decision. The French defender was initially shown a yellow card for tugging back Bournemouth’s Evanilson as he looked set to run through on goal. However, referee Rob Jones was sent to the monitor by VAR Jared Gillett and after a thorough check, Jones overturned his decision and produced a red card.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Now Seaman has shared his opinion on the incident. While the Gunners icon did not question the match officials’ decision to send off the France international, the veteran star did point out a major flaw in the "clear and obvious" rule and its impact on goalkeepers.
WHAT DAVID SEAMAN SAID
Speaking on the Seaman Says podcast, brought to you by Betway, the 61-year-old said: “The sending off, I can understand why it was given. There was a little pull. The striker made the most of it, which you're going to do when you're clean through like that. You can't do it. You can't pull them. If you run across them and they just clip their feet, a little accident on purpose, then you might get away with it. But you ain't getting away with a pull.
“My only problem with it is that the referee gave a yellow straight away. Was it a clear and obvious error? They’re disrespecting goalies. They say it’s a clear and obvious goalscoring opportunity – hang on, you’ve got to beat the goalie! David Raya’s a good goalie, you’ve got to get past him first. It’s not making it easy [the red cards]. There's no doubt about that.”
WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?
After a narrow win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday, Mikel Arteta’s side will now gear up to face current Premier League leaders Liverpool in a crucial encounter on Sunday at Emirates Stadium, but Saliba will play no part as he serves a suspension.
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