West Ham’s Cheikhou Kouyate received a red card during the Hammers’ 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace and will, therefore, miss the Arsenal game.

The midfielder slid in to tackle Dwight Gayle and was shown a red by referee Mark Clattenburg. By the looks of Twitter, hardly anyone seems to believe it was justified and West Ham’s chairman, David Gold, has confirmed that the east London club will be appealing the decision.

If the card still stands after the appeal, this means the 26-year-old will miss out on West Ham’s match against Arsenal.

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West Ham United’s Senegalese midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate (L) reacts after being sent off by referee Mark Clattenburg (2nd R) during the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Crystal Palace at The Boleyn Ground in Upton Park, in east London on April 2, 2016. The game finished 2-2. (OLLY GREENWOOD/AFP/Getty Images)

Kouyate is a regular starter for the Hammers, having made 26 Premier League appearances so far, and will, therefore, be a loss should his red card stand. From an Arsenal point of view, it should give us a little bit more freedom in our attack, which appears to be all we need right now. Saying this, if we really want to challenge for the title, we should be beating West Ham anyway.

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