Howard Webb confusion explained over William Saliba red card as Arsenal star misses Liverpool game

There was a fair bit of head-scratching when Howard Webb popped up on Sky Sports' broadcast as VAR scrutinized a potential red card for William Saliba. The Arsenal defender initially received a yellow after bringing down Evanilson, who looked set to get to the ball first and sprint towards goal.

Referee Rob Jones was asked to review the incident by VAR official Jarred Gillett. He then proceeded to show a red card to Saliba, a recurring theme for Arsenal who have been shown red three times this season.

A glimpse of Webb on the live TV broadcast seemed to suggest he was in contact via a wired phone placed in his ear. This sparked rumors that the PGMOL chief was part of the conversation with Jones and VAR. However that is believed to be off the mark.

Webb, who attends numerous Premier League matches throughout the season, can listen in on what the match officials are saying. He receives the same feed that commentators and pundits hear during games, but which isn't accessible to fans either at the stadium or watching on TV.

The ex-Premier League and World Cup referee doesn't have a say in decisions and can't communicate with the officials. It's simply standard procedure for key PGMOL staff and referee coaches in the stands to be able to hear what the officials involved in matches are saying.

Webb has been fine-tuning how referees on the pitch interact with VAR officials at Stockley Park, aiming to make it more educational. At Bournemouth, a critical call was made when Saliba was judged to have squandered a blatant scoring chance.

The incident swayed the match's rhythm yet it was ultimately adjudged as the right call and an effective employment of VAR.

Subsequently, Bournemouth clinched a win over Arsenal, marking their initial downturn of the Premier League season. Following Gabriel Martinelli's shot being thwarted by Kepa, Ryan Christie fired in the lead goal through a smart corner play. Justin Kluivert later converted from the spot-kick ensuing Arsenal's David Raya's clash with Evanilson.

Gunners' manager Mikel Arteta weighed in on Saliba's sent-off scenario, noting: "It was a decision made on the pitch, that decision was changed. I don't think it will change twice."

Probing about the impact of the dismissal, Arteta elaborated: "Absolutely. We are very disappointed with the result and gutted because we had to play in that context again. It's an accident waiting to happen not to get the points in this context. I cannot fault the team for the way they approached it. Tonight we made two big errors that cost the game."