WILLIAM SALIBA will miss Arsenal's game against Liverpool after the club decided NOT to appeal his red card.
Saliba, 23, was sent off for a last-man foul on Bournemouth striker Evanilson as he tried to cover a wayward Leandro Trossard back pass.
The centre-back was placed just beyond the halfway line when he brought down the Cherries ace in the middle of the pitch after 30 minutes.
On-field referee Rob Jones initially issued a yellow card for the offence.
However, VAR Jared Gillett summoned Jones over to the monitor to review the decision.
The yellow card was then replaced with a straight red to send Saliba for an early shower, with it deemed there was no covering defender and therefore Saliba had denied a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Arsenal went on to lose the game 2-0, with the controversial decision being argued over by ex-ref Mark Halsey.
Manager Mikel Arteta had said the club were considering their options with regards to a potential appeal.
But Arsenal have now decided that the issue is not worth pressing, and have conceded the fight over the Frenchman's suspension.
Saliba will miss one domestic match - next Sunday's crunch clash against table-toppers Liverpool.
Had it been violent conduct, he would have received a three-game ban.
It was the third time this season the Gunners have seen a player sent off, with Declan Rice sent off against Brighton and Trossard sent off against Manchester City.
The three red cards in eight games means Arsenal have now had 18 red cards since Arteta took over in December 2019 - SIX more than any other team.
One more this season will be their 108th red card of the Premier League era - a joint-record alongside Everton.
Only three sides - Manchester United in 1992/93 and Chelsea in 2004/05 and 2016/17 - have managed to avoid having a player sent off in a season.
The stats behind the red cards also do not bode well for Arsenal's title chances, with 17 of the 32 league winners managing to avoid picking up three reds or more.
But since 2012/13, only TWO teams have picked up three or more red cards and went on to be victorious: Chelsea's four dismissals in 2014/15 and Leicester who saw three in 2015/16.
Saliba will likely be back in the North Londoners team for their match against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League