Arsenal were nowhere near their best against Bournemouth.
The Gunners went into the game high on confidence after their emphatic 4-1 victory against Aston Villa on Tuesday, and they were seeking revenge against the Cherries, who beat them twice last season.
However, things got off to a poor start as Gabriel Magalhaes committed an uncharacteristic howler to gift Evanilson the easiest goal he will score this season. The Brazilian redeemed himself with the equaliser just a few minutes later, but Arsenal didn’t look good at all with the ball in the first half.
Declan Rice, who returned to the side after recovering from his injury, worked tirelessly and helped Arsenal win the game, but he was far from happy with referee Chris Kavanagh.
Name your Arsenal Man of the Match vs Bournemouth but you can’t pick Declan Rice!
Why Declan Rice was furious with the referee during Bournemouth vs Arsenal
The first half of Arsenal’s game against Bournemouth involved one major controversy.
The two goals – from Evanilson and Gabriel – were fair and rightfully allowed, but there were a few fouls that went against the North Londoners.
A foul was given against Viktor Gyokeres even though he was the one brought down, and Rice had a go at the referee for that decision.
Just a few moments later, when the England international was driving forward with the ball, Antoine Semenyo appeared to have pulled him back. Kavanagh refused to call a foul, which really angered Rice.
Semenyo was already on a yellow card, and if the right decision was made, he could’ve been sent off.
Rice was spotted screaming at the referee, as was skipper Martin Odegaard. Both players were not happy.
Sam Blitz, who was at the Vitality Stadium, said about the incident on Sky Sports: “Rice and Odegaard were furious. Semenyo did appear to drag him back and affect his pass out wide. He’s on a booking.
“If the Arsenal midfielder went down, then the Bournemouth winger would have been off. With the so-called ‘higher threshold’ it may have been harsh on Semenyo. But it’s not the first time Kavanagh and Rice have clashed with regard to second bookings.”
Thankfully, Rice didn’t let that mistake bother him and scored two excellent goals to help Arsenal win the game.
If Declan Rice was worth £105m in 2023, what would his value be in 2026?
Declan Rice has every reason to be disappointed with the referee
As Blitz mentioned above, Rice and Kavanagh have been involved in a controversial decision before.
Back in the 2024/25 season, in a game between Arsenal and Brighton at the Emirates, the referee sent the midfielder off for lightly tapping the ball away.
Mikel Arteta admitted recently that he was furious with the red card to Rice – it really was a ridiculous decision that cost Arsenal two points.
That explains why Rice was angry with Kavanagh’s decision to let Semenyo’s challenge go, and he has every right to be unhappy.
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