Saliba was shown the red card 30 minutes into the game after bringing down Bournemouth forward Evanilson as the last man. Referee Rob Jones initially brandished a yellow card but upgraded it to a red following a VAR review, which concluded that Saliba had denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
This marks Arsenal's third sending off of the season, with previous red cards being handed to Declan Rice against Brighton and Hove Albion in August and Leandro Trossard against Manchester City in September. Both instances involved two yellow cards, unlike Saliba's direct red.
Despite his domestic ban, Saliba will be eligible to play against Shakhtar Donetsk in Tuesday's Champions League match as domestic suspensions do not extend to European games. However, Sky Sports reports that Arsenal has decided not to appeal his suspension for Sunday's match when Liverpool visit the Emirates.
This could leave the Gunners without both the Frenchman and Martin Odegaard for the match, while an update on Bukayo Saka's availability is anticipated following his injury-related absence against Bournemouth. Center-back pair Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have started every Premier League match this season.
The only game neither has started across all competitions was the 7-0 League Cup demolition of Bolton Wanderers last month. On that occasion, Riccardo Calafiori partnered Jakub Kiwior.
William Saliba was sent off as Arsenal lost 2-0 at Bournemouth.
William Saliba was sent off as Arsenal lost 2-0 at Bournemouth.
Kiwior found himself in the midst of a double substitution on Saturday, stepping in for Raheem Sterling just moments after Saliba's dismissal, only to be replaced shortly following Bournemouth's successful penalty. The Poland international's ill-judged pass back to David Raya was intercepted by Evanlison, who was subsequently brought down by the keeper.
Raya managed to avoid a red card, having been deemed to have made an attempt for the ball, unlike Saliba, who had seized his opponent. Jurrien Timber is another option at center-half, although he hasn't seen game time since being substituted at half-time against Paris Saint-Germain on October 1 due to an issue.
Like Saka, he didn't make the journey with the squad to Bournemouth. Benjamin White, who made a comeback from injury to face the Cherries, is also capable of playing as a central defender, despite not having done so for over a year.
Liverpool.com says: Saliba being out will be a huge loss for Arsenal and Liverpool needs to make the most of the opportunity. If Odegaard and Saka are out as well, that will be some key pillars of Mikel Arteta's team.
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