Moisés Caicedo is set to miss Chelsea’s next three Premier League games after picking up a straight red card against Arsenal.
The Ecuadorian midfielder’s first-half challenge on Mikel Merino brought play to a halt nearly 40 minutes in. Both players received treatment, though referee Anthony Taylor had to wait until they were on their feet to hand out bookings. Replays showed Caicedo caught Merino on his ankle as VAR further scrutinised the action.
Taylor originally brandished a yellow card, but was sent to the monitor for an on-field review and eventually upgraded his decision to a red for serious foul play.
“After review, Chelsea 25, makes a challenge with excessive force and endangers the safety of the opponent, therefore my final decision is red card,” Taylor announced.
The Blues ended up earning a hard-fought point, though they’ll be without their star midfielder for the next couple of weeks.
Mikel Merino, Anthony Taylor and Moises Caicedo
Moisés Caicedo (right) originally was shown a yellow card. / Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
A serious foul play red card comes with a minimum three-match suspension. As such, Caicedo would miss the following games:
Date Opponent Competition
Wednesday, Dec. 3 Leeds United (A) Premier League
Saturday, Dec. 6 Bournemouth (A) Premier League
Saturday, Dec. 13 Everton (H) Premier League
Red cards carry over between English competitions—the Carabao Cup and FA Cup—but they do not affect a player’s availability for European tournaments. Caicedo will be eligible to play on Dec. 9 when the Blues travel to Italy to face Atalanta in the Champions League.
As far as English competitions go, Caicedo’s next match could come in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals when Chelsea head to Cardiff City. His next Premier League game would subsequently be against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park if fit.
Viktor Gyokeres and Robert Sanchez
Viktor Gyökeres (left) picked up the eighth booking of the game after colliding with Robert Sánchez (right). / Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Chelsea vs. Arsenal, despite a third consecutive draw between the two at Stamford Bridge, was a cagey affair.
The Gunners picked up three yellow cards inside the opening 12 minutes, while Marc Cucurella was also booked on the other side. It was the first time on record that Arsenal were booked three times in a Premier League match inside 30 minutes, per Opta.
Caicedo’s red card, while the first of his Premier League career in 130 appearances, marked the sixth time in all competitions that the Blues had a player sent off this season. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was also dismissed earlier in the campaign against Liverpool after wildly celebrating the winning goal.
Piero Hincapié, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Viktor Gyökeres were all cautioned in the second half bringing the total to eight bookings on the day.
READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND MORE