Arsenal hit with FA charge for red card row with Michael Oliver

Arsenal have been charged by the FA for the way their players reacted to Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card against Wolves.

Lewis-Skelly was sent off just before half-time last Saturday during the 1-0 win at Molineux after he tripped Wolves defender Matt Doherty.

Arsenal appealed the red card on Tuesday and they were successful in having a three-match ban overturned.

But the club have now been hit by another charge for the way their players behaved after Lewis-Skelly was sent off.

Arsenal players surrounded referee Michael Oliver and have been charged for “allegedly failing to ensure that its players did not behave in an improper manner”.

The club have until Monday to respond to the charge.

An FA statement on Thursday said: “Arsenal FC has been charged after its players surrounded a match official during their Premier League fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC on Saturday, 25 January.

“The club allegedly failed to ensure that its players did not behave in an improper manner around the 43rd minute. Arsenal FC has until Monday, 3 February, to provide a response.”

Lewis-Skelly faced a three-game ban before Arsenal won their appeal against his red card.

A three-person commission - made up of Independent Football Panel Members of the FA Judicial Panel - unanimously agreed the young defender should not have been sent off.

The FA’s written reasons, which were published on Thursday, stated: “The Commission members were unanimous in their opinion that the Referee had made an obvious error in sending off MLS [Lewis-Skelly] for the challenge that he made.

“The challenge was certainly ‘Foul Play’ but it obviously could not, to the mind of the Commission, be categorised as having been ‘Serious Foul Play’.

“MLS had stepped across his opponent and tripped him up, possibly deliberately, but in doing so he had obviously not endangered the safety of his opponent or used excessive force or brutality, nor had he ‘lunged’ in at his opponent.

“The club’s claim for Wrongful Dismissal was therefore deemed to have been successful and the standard punishment withdrawn.”