Red Card Rewrite: Caicedo's Ejection Turns Chelsea-Arsenal Clash at Stamford Bridge

Match Incident

Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo dragged Chelsea into trouble against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, in round 13 of the English Premier League this afternoon.

About 35 minutes into the match, Caicedo clipped Mikel Merino's leg, earning a foul and a yellow card for Chelsea there.

Moments later, the referee consulted VAR to review the incident, considering a red-card offense which would have warranted immediate dismissal from him.

Sure enough, the official went to the pitch-side monitor, then restored calm and flashed a straight red.

Chelsea must now play more than 55 minutes with ten men, a setback that makes achieving victory at home against Arsenal more daunting.

Opta statistics show Caicedo's first red card in the Premier League came in his 130th appearance tonight anyway.

It also marked Chelsea's seventh red card against Arsenal in the Premier League, first since David Luiz in 2017.

The red card was Chelsea's seventh of the season, a worrying sign about the team's discipline levels already.

Notably, Arsenal had three players booked early, within the first half-hour, a first for the Gunners in the Premier League since the 2006-07 season that sparked chatter.

Arsenal entered the match top of the table with 29 points, aiming to extend their lead over Manchester City, who trimmed it to four points yesterday, while Chelsea hoped to reclaim second place after City’s win, two points behind them tonight.

Punchline 1: Tonight's match proves football is a contact sport for referees too.

Punchline 2: If you blink, you miss a red card—welcome to the modern football soap opera.