Arsenal travelled to face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium today in their penultimate away match of the Premier League season but encountered some difficulties after being reduced to ten men in the first half.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles was dismissed for a second bookable offence after a lunge on Leicester midfielder James Maddison, which was only the second sending off that Arsenal have received in the league this season.
The decision from referee Michael Oliver was a controversial one, with Sky Sports pundits Graeme Souness and Alex Scott agreeing at the interval that it was a harsh sending off for the Arsenal youngster.
Both suggested that the reaction from Leicester midfielder Maddison played a significant part in the decision, as it made the challenge look worse than it actually was.
'Give Leicester the three points' - Arsenal fans fume after Ainsley Maitland-Niles is sent off
Maitland-Niles himself seems to have shared the same view, as he had a discussion with his England U21 teammate after his dismissal - and said 'that's poor' to the former Norwich City man, according to Sky Sports.
The pair exchanged further words, which the TV cameras were not able to pick up, but it is certainly a significant blow to Arsenal - who are already with Hector Bellerin for the remainder of the season, while Stephan Lichtsteiner has not impressed since his free transfer from Juventus last summer.
The reasons why Mesut Ozil and Nacho Monreal were not involved for Arsenal at Leicester
Maitland-Niles will now be suspended for Arsenal's clash with relegation-threatened Brighton next weekend, which is the final Premier League match at home for Unai Emery's side this season.
Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android.
Available to download from the App Store and Google Play .
