New Delhi: Down a goal to West Ham at the Emirates, Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta knew he needed a spark. With the home crowd restless, he looked to his bench to make a tactical switch or introduce fresh legs to rescue the game and avoid an upset.
Hoping for a positive impact he introduced Myles-Lewis Skelly in the 56th minute. However, the 18-year-old left-back was shown a red card by the referee in the 73rd minute after bringing down Mohamed Kudus on the halfway line.
🚨🚨 RED CARD MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY! 🟥pic.twitter.com/0V1NziyWdq
— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) February 22, 2025
The Premier League had released a statement explaining the decision, which came via their Match Centre on X (Twitter) which read, “VAR checked the referee’s call of yellow card to Lewis-Skelly for a challenge on [Mohammed] 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 review. The referee then upgraded the yellow to a red card.”
Skelly has now received two red cards and two yellow cards in 12 appearances. His first red card came in the first half of the 1-0 away win against Wolves at the end of January. However, his red card was overturned upon an appeal by the Gunners for an unfair dismissal and now he has received his second. This card not only gave Arsenal a bigger mountain to climb but also set a negative Premier League record they never imagined.
With the red card, at 18 years and 121 days old, the Englishman became the youngest player in Premier League history to be sent off more than once. While Skelly’s red card against Wolves was rescinded, it’s unlikely that his latest card will be reversed.
Arsenal’s red card issue?
These recent mistakes have raised serious questions about the Gunners’ discipline. They have already received the most red cards this season—five. Mikel Arteta will need to address this issue urgently as the title race tightens. While Skelly remains a highly promising talent but his rash decision-making could prove costly for both his development and Arsenal’s ambitions.
Arsenal have now received a league-high five red cards this season. Is Mikel Arteta facing a growing discipline crisis after Myles-Lewis Skelly’s latest dismissal? Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
