'Worst decision in Premier League history' - Arsenal get new Myles Lewis-Skelly red card verdict
Micah Richards has labelled the red card given to Arsenal star Myles Lewis-Skelly as the "worst decision" he's ever seen in the Premier League.
Lewis-Skelly was given his marching orders by referee Michael Oliver as the Gunners claimed a 1-0 win over Wolves on Saturday afternoon. Substitute Riccardo Calafiori scored the winning goal for Arsenal as they were able to battle with one fewer player for the majority of the contest before Joao Gomes was sent off for the hosts in the second half.
As a result of the red card, Lewis-Skelly will now serve a three-game ban unless Arsenal win a successful appeal against his dismissal. The decision by Oliver to send off the Gunners star has been the subject of intense debate, and now Richards has weighed in with his view.
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Richard began by expressing his admiration for Oliver as a referee, as well as sympathy for the difficulty of the job facing the officials in the top flight. The former Manchester City star labelled the red card as the 'worst' he has seen in the history of the Premier League.
"Michael Oliver, I like him I think he's a top referee," began Richards on the Rest is Football podcast.
He continued: "I understand the scrutiny that you guys [referee and VAR] are under, but guys, that's the worst decision I've ever seen in Premier League football history.
"That's how big [it was] and I stick by it. Because this happens week in week out.
"Michael Oliver, I think he's top. So he makes a mistake, which we all make mistakes. We make mistakes on the pod, when we're doing our punditry. We own up, don't we?
"Because that's what any normal human being does, they own up to their mistakes.
"But how on Earth they could go to VAR, look at the screen and look at it multiple times, not even a split second to look at it. Multiple different angles, and they still think that is a red [card].
"I don't like using the word 'disgrace', because I feel like it's easy to throw that word out. But if you look at the magnitude of that decision, it was so poor, and for them to double down on the decision, I just think it's shocking."
