Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta pointed to Bruno Fernandes’ red card reprieve for Manchester United earlier this season to explain why he is confident that Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card will be overturned.

The 18-year-old left-back was sent off in the first half of Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers for what referee Michael Oliver deemed to be “serious foul play”.

Arteta emphatically disagreed with the decision and was adamant that the red card would be overturned, citing Fernandes’ dismissal against Tottenham Hotspur in October. The United captain was shown a straight red card after a high challenge on James Maddison, but subsequent replays revealed that Fernandes had slipped before accidentally colliding with his opponent.

United won their appeal and Fernandes had his three-game ban scrubbed off.

When asked about Arsenal’s potential appeal, Arteta said: “Hopefully we don’t need to, and if we have to, it happened and it’s a really good precedent for what happened with Bruno [Fernandes] as well this season.

“OK we were in a position that we shouldn’t be in but at least be in a position we should be in for the next few weeks and allow our players to continue to show up.”

Fernandes’ saving grace was that he lost his footing before challenging Maddison. Lewis-Skelly intentionally tripped up Matt Doherty to halt a Wolves counter-attack and planted his studs onto the defender’s ankle and the top of his foot.

If Lewis-Skelly’s ban is upheld, he is set to be suspended for three domestic matches, which would rule him out of next weekend’s lofty league clash with Manchester City and the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle United.

“We cannot change actually what happened today,” Arteta sighed. “Hopefully, it will be fair for the team and for the player and for everybody what is going to happen in the next few weeks.”

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