Arsenal will have to play their next four domestic matches without their midfielder Granit Xhaka after he was banned for four games, following a red card against Burnley on Sunday.
He was sent off by referee Jon Moss, for a two-footed challenge on Steven Defour, in their 2-1 win at the Emirates.
It was the second red card for the 24-year-old Swiss international this season. He was also sent off by the same Moss in their home win over Swansea last October. This automatically sees him get an additional game on top of the standard three-game ban.
Xhaka will now miss the FA Cup tie at Southampton, as well as Premier League fixtures against Watford, Chelsea and Hull City, barring a successful appeal by the North London club.
Manager Arsene Wenger sounded frustrated over Xhaka’s sendings off. He said they were “punishing” Arsenal and added that although he had not seen a replay of the incident, “the noises that I get say that it was a red card.”
Wenger continued: “He has to control his game and not punish the team with a lack of control in his tackling.
“We don’t encourage our midfielders to go down on tackles, we want them to stand up and not to make this kind of foul. If it’s a bad tackle it’s a red card.”
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