Southampton successfully appeal Bednarek red card

Southampton have successfully appealed against Jan Bednarek’s dismissal in Tuesday night’s match against Manchester United, reports Dan Sheldon.

The decision means Bednarek will be available for the match against Newcastle United on Saturday.

Bednarek was shown a straight red card at Old Trafford, having been judged to have denied Anthony Martial an obvious goalscoring opportunity.

What happened?

Bednarek fouled Anthony Martial in the box before Dean consulted the pitch-side monitor to see whether it deserved a red card.

Bruno Fernandes scored from the resulting spot-kick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men went on to score another two goals.

Southampton lost the match 9-0.

What was the immediate reaction?

As he walked down the tunnel, Bednarek turned and said: “It’s not a foul. Martial said ‘it’s not a foul’.”

After the match, Solskjaer himself conceded it shouldn’t have resulted in Bednarek being sent off, saying: “The second sending off for them, that rule should be taken away. The law that sends him off is a strange one. Bednarek definitely shouldn’t have been sent off.”

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl , too, questioned how this decision was reached.

“In such a moment they should have a feeling that we are damaged enough,” he said after the match.

What have the FA said?

A statement from The FA said: “Jan Bednarek will be available for Southampton FC’s next fixture after an Independent Regulatory Commission upheld a claim of wrongful dismissal and removed his suspension.

“The defender was sent off for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity during a Premier League fixture against Manchester United FC on Tuesday [02/02/21].”

What else do I need to know?

Arsenal were not as successful as Southampton in their appeal to have David Luiz’s red card against Wolves overturned.

The club have said they are “disappointed” with the verdict, which means Luiz will not be available to play in their next Premier League match against Aston Villa.

(Photo: By Phil Noble via Getty Images)