Riccardo Calafiori fired 10-man Arsenal to a Premier League win at Wolves after Myles Lewis-Skelly’s controversial red card.
Referee Michael Oliver’s first-half decision to send off Lewis-Skelly – after he fouled Matt Doherty 30 yards from the hosts’ goal to stop the Wolves defender breaking from a corner – stunned the Gunners.
At 18 years and 121 days, Lewis-Skelly became the third youngest player to be sent off in the Premier League, behind Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen.
Joao Gomes’ dismissal, for a second yellow card after a foul on Jurrien Timber with 20 minutes left, was more routine but it will be no more than a footnote.
Lewis-Skelly’s red could have had an immediate impact on the title race if the second-placed Gunners dropped points to fall further behind leaders Liverpool, who beat Ipswich 4-1.
But they showed resilience to snatch the victory thanks to Calafiori, on as a substitute following a half-time reshuffle.
Red card should not overshadow Arsenal endeavour
Michael Oliver’s decision to send Lewis-Skelly off after 43 minutes will be replayed and poured over for a long time.
It has split opinion, with former England captain Alan Shearer calling it “one of the worst decisions that I’ve seen in a long time”.
Lewis-Skelly’s tackle was cynical and he knew what he was doing to stop Doherty breaking away from an Arsenal corner, but whether it was a red card has sparked intense debate – so intense that Arsenal’s win amid the controversy may almost be forgotten.
Liverpool snatched a result befitting champions when they struck twice late on to win at Brentford last week.
This time, Arsenal triumphed in a game where they faced adversity to keep in touch with the leaders after pulling their own win out of the fire.
A tactical reshuffle, bringing on eventual match-winner Calafiori at the break, proved to be a crucial decision by manager Mikel Arteta.
David Raya was never overly tested, despite a fine save to deny Matheus Cunha, and Arsenal always had a degree of control in the second half – even before Gomes’ red card made it 10 v 10.
The Gunners’ passionate celebrations at the end showed how important the win was and how they know they cannot afford to fall further behind Liverpool.
