Arsenal picked up a point against Brighton at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon in a fixture that provided lots of talking points.
The Gunners went ahead through Kai Havertz in the first half however, things quickly took a turn after the restart.
Declan Rice was dismissed shortly after the interval for an opinion-splitting second yellow card, with the Englishman’s early exit changing the direction of the game.
Shortly after Arsenal were reduced to ten men, Brighton netted the equaliser through Joao Pedro, a goal that saw the game end in a draw at 1-1.
- READ MORE: Arsenal fans are furious after Declan Rice red card against Brighton, it was a ‘shocking’ decision
Declan Rice sent off in bizarre circumstance against Brighton
Rice’s first yellow card of the afternoon was impossible to debate as the midfielder went flying into a reckless challenge.
The Englishman’s foul warranted a yellow however, his second booking of the game was less understandable.
Rice was penalised and dismissed following a bizarre altercation with Joel Veltman, where at first, there were calls around the Emirates for the Brighton defender to be sent off.
The Dutchman took Rice out when the ball was not in play although, upon inspection, it was the Arsenal man who was set to be punished.
Rice poked the ball beyond Veltman’s reach causing the defender to follow through on the midfielder rather than the ball, which the 25-year-old was then booked for, a decision that certainly divided opinion.
Arsenal legend Paul Merson reacts to Rice’s red card
Taking to X after the fixture, Arsenal legend Paul Merson shared his verdict on Rice’s dismissal, making a point that many supporters had raised.
Merson commented on an identical offence from Pedro, who wasted time by kicking the ball away earlier in the fixture.
“Did Pedro not boot the ball away in the first half for no booking?”
Rice made a clumsy decision to knock the ball away from Veltman however, the inconsistencies shown by the Chris Kavanagh throughout the contest were unforgivable.
Merson raised the point that if the Arsenal man’s offence merited a yellow card, why didn’t Pedro also receive a booking?
Ultimately, the Gunners weren’t at the standard required to win the game against the Seagulls although, the fixture was turned on it’s head by Kavanagh’s decision to dismiss Rice just after the restart.
Inconsistencies from the officials must be resolved if the Premier League are to continually implement new rules, with the lapse in consistency from last season already flooding into the 2024/25 campaign.
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