In a recent football face-off, Arsenal’s young talent, Myles Lewis-Skelly, came under fire for his on-field conduct, with former Blackburn Rovers forward, Chris Sutton, criticizing his actions as ‘naive’. Despite having already been cautioned with a yellow card, Lewis-Skelly was involved in a further contentious tackle that many believed deserved a more severe penalization.
Sutton expressed his disbelief at the referee’s decision to let the incident pass, exclaiming, “He is so fortunate to get away with that. That’s a bit of a shocker from the referee.” The incident occurred after the 18-year-old defender had already been warned in the 24th minute for obstructing PSV’s Luuk De Jong. Mere moments later, Lewis-Skelly found himself in the middle of another foul, this time, tripping Richard Ledezma on the PSV’s right flank.
The home crowd, along with the on-field players, swiftly clamored for a second yellow card. However, the referee opted for leniency, deciding to keep his cards close to his chest, and sparing the young player from further penal action.
Post the incident, boos from the Eindhoven fans echoed around the stadium as Lewis-Skelly made his exit from the pitch. In contrast, he was met with encouraging high-fives from his teammates on the sidelines. The young player was subsequently replaced by Riccardo Calafiori.
Alan Shearer, providing commentary on Amazon Prime’s coverage of the match, also highlighted the precarious situation Lewis-Skelly found himself in, stating, “It’s a bit of a risky situation when he’s just been given a yellow card a minute ago. I’m pretty sure if he hadn’t been booked already, that would certainly have been another yellow.”
This incident brings to light the importance of caution and restraint on the football pitch, particularly for young players who are still navigating their way through the professional circuit. The incident also raises questions about the referee’s judgement, with many challenging the decision to let Lewis-Skelly off without a second booking.
While the debate continues, one thing is clear – the world of football will be watching Myles Lewis-Skelly with keen interest, waiting to see how this young player evolves in his career, and hoping that he learns valuable lessons from incidents like these.