Mikel Arteta Clarifies Early Substitution of Myles Lewis-Skelly in PSV Rout

Mikel Arteta Explains Early Substitution of Myles Lewis-Skelly in Arsenal’s Champions League Victory Over PSV

Fortunate Escape: Lewis-Skelly Avoids Another Sending-Off in Arsenal’s Dominant Win

Myles Lewis-Skelly was at the center of controversy during Arsenal’s emphatic 7-1 Champions League triumph over PSV Eindhoven after escaping what could have been a second yellow card.

The young left-back returned to Arsenal’s starting XI for the last-16 first-leg clash in the Netherlands, having missed the previous Premier League match against Nottingham Forest due to suspension. Despite playing a role in Arsenal’s early dominance—assisting Ethan Nwaneri’s goal to make it 2-0—he lasted only 35 minutes before being substituted for Riccardo Calafiori, who later sealed the historic victory.

Lewis-Skelly had already been booked for a challenge on Luuk de Jong and was lucky not to receive a second caution after a poorly timed tackle on Richard Ledezma. Sensing the potential risk, Arteta made the call to withdraw him before halftime, with Arsenal comfortably leading 3-0.

After the match, Arteta confirmed the decision was not due to injury but rather a precautionary move.

> “I haven’t seen the second incident, but when there’s a lot of noise around it, and you’re playing away from home, I didn’t want to take any risks,” Arteta told Amazon Prime Video.

Disciplinary Concerns for Lewis-Skelly and Arsenal

Had Lewis-Skelly been sent off, it would have been his second red card in as many games and his third in just over a month. His previous dismissal against Wolves in January for a challenge on Matt Doherty was overturned on appeal, but he was sent off against West Ham after a VAR review deemed his foul on Mohammed Kudus a denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.

So far this season, Lewis-Skelly has accumulated four yellow cards across all competitions. While he remains two bookings away from an automatic suspension in the Champions League—where a three-card rule applies before cautions are reset after the quarter-finals—Arsenal must be mindful of his growing disciplinary record.

Meanwhile, Jurrien Timber is now at risk of suspension in Europe, having picked up his second yellow card of the competition for time-wasting in the second half against PSV, despite Arsenal already being 5-1 up at the time.