Premier League explain why Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off for Arsenal against Wolves | OneFootball

Arsenal found themselves down to ten men in the first half of Saturday's meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers when young left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly was shown a straight red card.

Lewis-Skelly, making his return from injury, cynically tripped Matt Doherty on the edge of the Wolves penalty area as the hosts prepared to launch an electric counter, and there was plenty of surprise when referee Michael Oliver brandished a straight red card.

VAR declined to order a review of the decision, leaving many fans confused why a cynical foul so far away from the goal was deemed worthy of a red card.

"The referee's call of a red card for Lewis-Skelly was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed his challenge to have been serious foul play," a statement by the Premier League Match Centre confirmed.

Former official Mike Dean argued on Sky Sports' coverage of the game that Lewis-Skelly had caught Doherty high on the leg.

"I've got a still image," he said. "If you see it, you can see why the referee has decided what he's done. He's put his studs down the inside of his leg. Now I've seen the other image, you can see why he's been sent off."

Lewis-Skelly will now be forced to serve a domestic suspension, handing Mikel Arteta a huge blow ahead of next weekend's meeting with Manchester City.

Summer signing Riccardo Calafiori is likely to be first in line for a recall after returning from a muscle injury to start Saturday's game on the bench, while Ukraine international Oleksandr Zinchenko is also a candidate to feature.

Zinchenko is attracting significant interest in the transfer market, with both Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid chasing his signature before the window closes.