“This is inconsistent officiating" - Former PGMOL chief claims Arsenal star should have been sent off in UEFA Champions League

Former Premier League referee Kieth Hackett has said that Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly should've been sent off against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday, March 4. He praised manager Mikel Arteta for subbing the left-back off early in the game.

The Gunners faced PSV at Philips Stadion in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash on Tuesday. Jurrien Timber opened the scoring in the 18th minute before Ethan Nwaneri made it 2-0 three minutes later.

Lewis-Skelly was then booked in the 24th minute for a foul on Luuk de Jong. The 18-year-old then made a late tackle on Richard Ledezma two minutes later but shockingly, didn't receive a second yellow card. Mikel Arteta then replaced him with Riccardo Calafiori in the 35th minute as Arsenal finished the game with 11 men.

Former PGMOL chief Kieth Hackett has asserted that Lewis-Skelly should've been sent off, saying (via GOAL):

"We witnessed a little bit of inconsistent officiating. I thought the first yellow for Lewis-Skelly was a little weak but then having got that yellow he commits a very clear yellow card offence by bringing his opponent down and stopping a promising attack; for which he should have then walked. He didn't.

"But his manager was alert and had seen what had happened and rightly subbed him. That maintained the 11 players on the field of play for the remainder of the game."

Lewis-Skelly has already received two red cards this season for Arsenal, albeit, the first one against Wolverhampton Wanderers was later rescinded.

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Arsenal hammer PSV and practically book their place in UCL quarter-finals

The Gunners were at their goalscoring best as they hammered PSV Eindhoven 7-1 at the Philips Stadion in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. Jurrien Timber (18') and Ethan Nwaneri (21') scored a goal each before Mikel Merino (31') made it 3-0. The hosts got one back in the 43rd minute as Noa Lang converted a penalty.

After the break, Mikel Odegaard (47') and Leandro Trossard (48') made it 5-1 in quick succession. Odegaard scored again in the 73rd minute before Riccardo Calafiori (85') completed the scoring. The second leg at the Emirates is scheduled for Wednesday next week (March 12).

However, with a six-goal advantage, Arsenal have almost booked their place in the quarter-finals, where they will face either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid. Los Blancos won 2-1 in the first leg against their city rivals at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.