The Premier League weekend seems to have been dominated by the Arsenal furore over Myles Lewis-Skelly's red card against Wolves on Saturday, with Michael Oliver in the firing line for his decision. The young Arsenal full-back was sent off for a cynical foul of Matt Doherty, with many pundits - and Mikel Arteta - shocked at the call.

As things stand, he will now miss the next three games, including the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Newcastle United at St James' Park next week - although an appeal could overturn the automatic ban. There has been plenty of debate about whether the challenge merited a red and the potential fallout of the decision.

Would there be such a focus on the incident if it happened to another club? It always seems to be Arsenal these days, although the abuse Oliver received clearly crossed the line. Here's our verdict on the weekend's big talking point

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Lee Ryder

As far as the rulebook is concerned, that's a red card and Michael Oliver was adhering to directives. VAR gives the back-up officials an opportunity to change things and make suggestions but opted against it. It was nasty challenge from Myles Lewis-Skelly and had it been further upfield there would no controversy. Go back to the incident, he's been beaten by his man and he's taken drastic action right under the nose of the referee.

He could have made a tactical foul and picked up a yellow card if he didn't have such an edge to it, it was studs up and serious foul play. Oliver is one of the game's top referees and did the right thing knowing that he would get a barrage of abuse after it.

Sorry Arsenal, it's the right call. Have another flick through the rules.

Ciaran Kelly

It's not often I see Mikel Arteta's point of view, but you can understand why the Arsenal boss was left 'absolutely fuming'. This was a cynical foul from Myles Lewis-Skelly, who caught Matt Doherty above the ankle, but it is an amber offence for me - somewhere between a yellow and a red.

It was rather telling that one or two Wolves players looked as shocked as Arsenal's when Michael Oliver then decided to send off Lewis-Skelly. However, this was a situation where VAR, surely, could have intervened and, at the very least, ordered the referee to take a second look at the screen.

It would have spared an almighty fallout.

Aaron Stokes

I'll be totally honest, I've no idea whether it was a red card or not - despite watching numerous replays and slow-mos - so it's a good job I'm not paid the big bucks to made these calls in the heat of the moment. In real time, it looks a shocker of a decision from Michael Oliver - and I'll admit I jumped on the bandwagon of making that point clear in various group chats on Saturday afternoon.

However, after seeing a few angles of the incident, I'm beginning to swing the other way. Lewis-Skelly's foot does connect on the player's ankle in a dangerous fashion and at some speed. Oliver was well-placed to make the call, too.

One thing I am 100% clear on is the fact the reaction from Arsenal fans was way over the top (as usual). There is no agenda against your football club. Seeing Oliver's address leaked online, with personal abuse sent to him and his family, is absolutely ridiculous.

Is that reason enough to not want the decision overturned on appeal...?

Ross Gregory

They have no luck, mind, Arsenal. After having three players sent off in the first eight league games of the season, it has gone and happened again. Did Mikel Arteta and his players walk under a ladder in pre-season? Actually, not just this season but since Arteta took over in 2019, they have suffered. More red cards than any other top-flight team in that period.

Maybe it wasn't a red, maybe it was an orange, or amber, or just a plain yellow. Maybe we need to introduce new sanctions for incidents like this. But equally, when you dance with the devil...

As for the abuse at Michael Oliver, there's no conspiracy, there's no Newcastle-fan agenda. He's the best ref in the Premier League by a country mile. It's just a quirk of fate that his country mile is based in the North East.

Andrew Musgrove

By the letter of the law - it is a red card. It is above the ankle but in practice, it's never a sending off. It's malicious but badly timed and deserved nothing but a yellow card. I feel for Michael Oliver because he has made a mistake that Darren England on VAR should have picked up and stopped. I get the fact VAR doesn't want to intervene too heavily in on the field decisions but in this instance they've left a man in the trenches.

Stuart Jamieson

Did Arsenal have a man sent off? Someone should have said something . . . Yeah, it was a surprise to see Michael Oliver raise the red card after the challenge, but you have to ask whether you can understand why any referee makes a call - whether you agree with it or not. In this case, I can see why he has done it - the studs were high and it was very deliberate, with no attempt to pay the ball. A yellow probably would have been enough but I can see why he's made that decision. That should be the end of it, red card, move on.

Jack Flintham

This incident was one of those grey areas that have become more controversial thanks to the introduction of VAR. Yes he catches him with his studs but is there enough intent to warrant a red card? I am not sure there was.

The intent was clearly to stop the breakaway but the full-back clearly mistimed the tackle. Now, if VAR was not in operation and Oliver had sent Lewis-Skelly off, there probably would not be the uproar that there currently is.

However, because Darren England at Stockley Park was able to watch that back from several different angles and chose not to send Oliver to the screen, it has become a big deal. Perhaps it was not a clear and obvious error from Oliver but I think it would have been a lot less controversial if the referee had been advised to go to the screen and take another look at it.

It isn't the biggest error an official has made in the world and perhaps Arteta and his players should take a look in the mirror and see how their reaction to the decision has led to the threats against Oliver and his family.

Amie Wilson

I think the challenge is probably one of them that would fit into the ‘orange card’ criteria. The foul was a cynical one and probably reckless, but I don’t think it quite crossed the threshold to be deserving of a red card. I however don’t think as much of a deal would have been made out of it had it been awarded to one of the ‘non big six’ teams over the weekend.

I do feel that Michael Oliver should have been sent over to the screen to take a second look, even if to reaffirm his decision of a red card. I’m not sure if any Arsenal appeal will be successful, given the height of the initial contact - that may be good news for Newcastle.

As for the abuse directed towards Michael Oliver, that is something that is uncalled for. However passionate our views are on the situation, that is going way beyond crossing a line.

Kieran Horn

I understand why their is anger from Arsenal supporters at the red card decision against Wolves, but to call it one of the worst refereeing decisions ever is rather dramatic. While not exactly the same, I remember John McGinn was sent off against Tottenham for a foul that endangered the opponent and it can certainly be argued that Lewis-Skelly's attempt at this tactical foul could have caused serious damage.

Yes with slow-motion and zoomed-in replays, it does make things look far worse but the teenager can have no real complaints considering the risk he took to make the foul and do so at such an angle that his studs catch Doherty's ankle.

In all honestly I don't think it justifies a straight red card and thus three-match ban, but it was equally not a clear and obvious error and thus there was no real chance that VAR would overturn the decision.