Moisés Caicedo will be sidelined for Chelsea’s next three Premier League fixtures after receiving a straight red card in the match against Arsenal. Referee Taylor initially showed a yellow but consulted the pitch-side monitor and upgraded the decision to a red for serious foul play.

“After review, Chelsea 25, makes a challenge with excessive force and endangers the safety of the opponent, therefore my final decision is red card,” Taylor announced.

The Blues managed to secure a hard-fought point in the game, but their midfield will be without Caicedo for at least the coming fortnight. A serious foul play red card carries a minimum three-match suspension, so Caicedo will miss the following Premier League matches:

• Wednesday, Dec. 3 — Leeds United (A) — Premier League
• Saturday, Dec. 6 — Bournemouth (A) — Premier League
• Saturday, Dec. 13 — Everton (H) — Premier League

Red cards carry over between English competitions, including the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, but they do not affect European tournaments. Caicedo will therefore be available for Chelsea’s Champions League trip to Atalanta on Dec. 9.

In domestic cup competition his next possible appearance could come in the Carabao Cup quarterfinal away to Cardiff City. If his suspension has been served, his first Premier League match back would be the trip to Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.

The Chelsea v Arsenal match at Stamford Bridge was a tight encounter and marked a third consecutive draw between the clubs at that venue. Arsenal received three yellow cards inside the opening 12 minutes, while Marc Cucurella was also booked. It was the first time on record that Arsenal were booked three times in a Premier League match inside 30 minutes, per Opta.

Caicedo’s red was his first in 130 Premier League appearances and the sending-off represented the sixth time this season that a Chelsea player had been dismissed in all competitions. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was also dismissed earlier in the campaign against Liverpool after wildly celebrating the winning goal. In the second half Piero Hincapié, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Viktor Gyökeres were cautioned, bringing the match total to eight bookings.

Arsenal face uncertainty over one of their central defenders after Gabriel sustained a muscle injury while on international duty. The 27-year-old, who missed 19 games for club and country last season, was withdrawn after 64 minutes of Brazil’s 2–0 friendly victory over Senegal at the Emirates Stadium with a problem in his right thigh.

After the match, manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted he was uncertain on the severity of the defender’s issue, and subsequent reporting in The Athletic has put a possible recovery window at one to two months. Further tests are required to establish the exact timescale, but in a worst-case scenario Gabriel could be out until mid-January.

Working from the two-month estimate, Arsenal would be without Gabriel for a minimum of 14 matches, a figure that would rise to 15 should the club reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals. Several significant fixtures follow straight after the international break: Tottenham (H) on Sunday, Bayern Munich (H) in the Champions League and Chelsea (A) on November 30.

December brings an intensive run of eight fixtures, in which Gabriel might only play if the issue is short-term. Those matches include Premier League ties with Brentford, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and Brighton, plus Champions League travel to Club Brugge and a Carabao Cup quarter-final with Crystal Palace.

Arsenal also have Premier League trips to Bournemouth and Liverpool scheduled before a potential January return, and the club will contest the FA Cup third round without him if the absence extends into the new year. The player would additionally miss the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals should the Gunners progress past Palace.

With key games across four competitions looming, Arsenal will be monitoring the medical updates closely. At present the situation remains provisional pending further scans and assessments, but Gabriel will be unavailable for selection for the foreseeable future while the club and Brazil await clearer timelines.

Arsenal’s Premier League fixture against Everton has been moved to Dec. 20 to allow the club to play a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace three days later. The Premier League and broadcasters needed to find a slot that permitted live coverage in the U.K., which limited available options.

Crystal Palace’s European commitments added complexity. Oliver Glasner’s side face KuPS on Dec. 18, the penultimate game in a sequence that will see them play 10 matches between Nov. 22 and Dec. 23. That congested run left little room to shift the cup match without creating knock-on problems across the calendar.

Christmas Eve was considered for the Carabao Cup quarter-final but was rejected to avoid disruption for travelling supporters so close to the holiday, Arsenal noted in a club statement. As a consequence of the rearrangement, Arsenal will now face Everton on Dec. 20 at 8 p.m (GMT). Palace’s game against Leeds was also moved to the same kick-off time, creating a compact schedule for all involved.

Arsenal addressed the potential impact on fans directly in their announcement. “The welfare of our players, supporters, and staff is our priority, and we fully understand this change of date may result in challenges for supporters travelling to Liverpool for the game,” the club said. “Therefore, we are organising additional supporters’ coaches for this match. All coach travel will be subsidised for supporters, priced at £10 for the return journey to Everton.”

For Palace, the schedule still requires two matches in three days between Dec. 18 and Dec. 20, but the club has limited alternatives because the team is already playing twice a week through to mid-January. The rearrangement reflects an attempt to balance broadcast commitments, cup scheduling and supporter welfare within a crowded fixture list.