Arsenal will have to cope without Myles Lewis-Skelly for their next three domestic matches after his questionable sending-off in Saturday's 1-0 Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The 18-year-old returned from a minor knee injury - which kept him out of the midweek Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb - to take Oleksandr Zinchenko's place at left-back in the West Midlands.
However, Lewis-Skelly was sent for an early bath in the 43rd minute by Michael Oliver, who gave the Hale End graduate a straight red card for what initially appeared to be little more than a cynical foul on Matt Doherty.
Doherty had only just emerged from his own penalty area when he was brought down by Lewis-Skelly, although replays showed that the teenager's studs did catch the Irishman's calf as the VAR room upheld Oliver's original call.
Lewis-Skelly's contentious red card ultimately did not prove costly, as his replacement Riccardo Calafiori struck a slick second-half winner after Wolves had also gone down to 10 men; Joao Gomes was dismissed for a pair of bookable offences.
Lewis-Skelly to miss Manchester City, Newcastle United games
© Imago
The Premier League Match Centre confirmed that Lewis-Skelly had been sent off for serious foul play, and unless Arsenal succeed with an appeal, he will serve a three-match domestic suspension.
The 18-year-old will be fine to face Girona in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, but he will then begin his ban against none other than Manchester City at the Emirates next Sunday.
As red card suspensions count across all domestic competitions unlike yellow-card bans, Lewis-Skelly will also be unavailable for Arsenal's EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Newcastle United on February 5, where they will endeavour to turn around a 2-0 deficit.
The Hale End graduate then completes his three-game punishment when Arsenal head to Leicester City for the early kickoff on February 15, before returning for the home clash with West Ham United on February 22.
Mikel Arteta "absolutely fuming" with Lewis-Skelly red
© Imago
While Lewis-Skelly's suspension is a devastating blow for a player who was beginning to make the left-back spot his own, Arsenal are hardly short of cover in that area of the field.
After his critical winner in the second 45, Calafiori will be expected to deputise for Lewis-Skelly against Man City, although Mikel Arteta also has Kieran Tierney and Zinchenko - both of whom have been linked with an exit - in his ranks.
The Gunners boss reacted as expected to Lewis-Skelly's dismissal, telling Sky Sports: "It is that clear that I leave it to you guys. I am absolutely fuming but I leave it with you. Because it is that obvious. I don't think my words are going to help."
Asked if his side will appeal the decision, Arteta replied: "That's for the club to decide what the best decision is. I think it's that obvious, maybe we don't even need to."
Arsenal remain six points behind Liverpool in the Premier League table following their Molineux success, as the Reds - who still have a game in hand - strolled to a 4-1 win over Ipswich Town at Anfield.
Ben Knapton
