A FA panel decided that referee Andre Marriner not only dismissed the wrong player, but that Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal-line handball did not deserve a red card.
Neither player will serve any ban following the incident.
Marriner will referee Southampton’s game with Newcastle at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday.
Arsenal claimed that not only was Gibbs sent off by mistake after Oxlade-Chamberlain deliberately blocked the ball with his hand, but that Oxlade-Chamberlain’s offence had not prevented either a goal or a goal-scoring opportunity because Eden Hazard’s shot was going wide from goal.
On the matter of mistaken identity, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited, which is responsible for training officials, said after the game that such cases were “very rare”.
“While this was a difficult decision, Andre is disappointed that he failed to identify the correct player,” they stated.
“He expressed his disappointment when he was made aware of the issue.”
By Joshua Pritchard – @Josh_pritchard1 – https://twitter.com/Josh_pritchard1
