Arsenal supporters vented their fury as Chelsea’s Tosin Adarabioyo was given a yellow card for a similar foul that saw William Saliba sent off.
Adarabioyo was caught out by a long ball over the top intended for Liverpool star Diogo Jota.
Adarabioyo was shown a yellow card after he brought down JotaAFP
As Jota looked to breeze past, Adarabioyo got into a tangle with the Reds forward and brought him down to the ground just beyond the halfway line.
Despite the Chelsea centre-back being the last man, he escaped with only a yellow card from referee John Brooks.
Adarabioyo’s foul was highly comparable to that of Saliba’s during Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Bournemouth on Saturday.
Like Adarabioyo, Saliba was caught a yard behind as Leandro Trossard’s loose backpass went over his head.
With Bournemouth striker Evanilson ahead of him, Saliba grabbed his rival’s arm and hauled him to the ground.
Saliba was initially given a yellow card by referee Robert Jones but it was upgraded to a red after a VAR check.
With several Arsenal fans tuned in to Chelsea’s contest against Liverpool given the implications at the top end of the table, it didn’t take long for their verdicts to roll in.
One Gunners supporter wrote on X: “Exact same situation as Saliba, Tosin should be sent off there. No consistency as per usual!”
Another added: “If that’s a red card for Saliba yesterday then Tosin Adarabioyo should have been sent off today.”
ESPN reporter Eduardo Hagn posted: “Tosin Adarabioyo not sent off after exactly the same foul as Saliba yesterday. UNBELIEVABLE.”
Saliba’s dismissal left Arsenal with ten men for most of the matchGetty
However, one mitigating circumstance that helped Adarabioyo avoid a red was the proximity of his nearest defender.
When Adarabioyo made contact with Jota, Levi Colwill was in close proximity and may have been able to get back to make a challenge.
In Saliba’s case, his nearest defender was Ben White, who was on the other side of the centre circle when Trossard played his pass backwards.
According to the FA’s laws, referees have four criteria to consider when it comes to determining if a player has denied the opposition an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
Referees must assess the distance between the foul and the goal, the general direction of play, the likelihood of keeping or gaining control of the ball as well as the location of the foul and number of defenders involved.
The fourth criteria is perhaps what may have saved Adarabioyo from being sent off, although Chelsea were ultimately unable to beat Liverpool.
Arne Slot’s side emerged 2-1 victors thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones either side of Nicolas Jackson’s neat finish.
As for Adarabioyo, he was taken off in the 53rd minute and replaced by fellow centre-back Benoit Badiashile two minutes after Jones scored what proved to be the winner.
