The Premier League have confirmed referee Craig Pawson made the right call to send off Myles Lewis-Skelly in Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to West Ham on Saturday.

The Hammers had already taken the lead in the first half through Jarrod Bowen’s header.

With 17 minutes left at the Emirates, things went from bad to worse for the Gunners.

Lewis-Skelly pulled down Mohammed Kudus, as the West Ham forward stole the ball on the half way line.

Kudus was a long way from Arsenal’s goal, but keeper David Raya had also wandered out of his penalty area.

Pawson initially showed a yellow to Lewis-Skelly, but was advised by VAR Peter Bankes to consult the pitchside monitor.

After reviewing the incident, Pawson upgraded the booking to a straight red card.

In a statement, the Premier League said: “VAR checked the referee’s call of yellow card to Lewis-Skelly for a challenge on Kudus – deeming it denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity due to the goalkeeper’s position and there being no covering defender, therefore recommended an on-field review.

“The referee then upgraded the yellow to a red card.”