Why Saliba was sent off and Adarabioyo wasn’t?

During Liverpool’s Premier League match against Chelsea, controversy erupted when Tosin Adarabioyo pushed Diogo Jota to the ground just inside the Blues’ half, narrowly avoiding a red card. William Saliba’s dismissal after Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Bournemouth on Saturday night seems strikingly similar to this event.

when being initially been given a yellow card for dragging Evanilson to the ground, the Frenchman was given his marching orders when a VAR check determined that he had missed a clear goal-scoring opportunity. He will now miss one Gunners game, which will also happen to be against Liverpool.

Adarabioyo was given a yellow card for the foul even though it appeared to be very identical at first glance, and this time, VAR did not suggest a closer inspection.

Mike Dean appeared on commentary to clarify the distinctions between the two incidents and offer an explanation for why the Chelsea player did not meet the same end as Saliba.

After their recent defeat, Arsenal supporters would have been incensed to see the Chelsea player escape a red card. However, Dean clarified why there was no resemblance between the two situations. He stated on commentary that the ball appeared to be traveling toward the touchline and away from the goal, indicating that it was not a foul that warranted a red card.

“There’s too much doubt involved there. The ball is going towards the assistant referee on the far side. It’s completely different compared to yesterday for me. That’s a correct decision on-field.”

Additionally, Gary Neville clarified that the situation was very different with Levi Colwill, another defender present, and Dean concurred. Thankfully, Liverpool’s play was unaffected by the incident, as they took the lead through a penalty kick from Mohamed Salah before the first half ended.