Referee Chris Kavanagh has come under fire from some quarters after taking charge of Arsenal vs Brighton.
Arsenal saw their winning start to the new Premier League season come to an end of Saturday as they slipped to a 1-1 draw against Brighton at the Emirates Stadium.
Kai Havertz put the Gunners ahead in the first half, but the game changed when Declan Rice was shown a red card shortly after the break.
The midfielder’s dismissal gave the Seagulls a boost and they were level less than ten minutes later. The visitors were able to hold on and take a point back to the south coast with them.
Meanwhile, controversy has erupted around Chris Kavanagh’s decision to send off Rice. Arsenal fans were furious with the call.
On top of that, a former Premier League referee has taken aim at Kavanagh, claiming that the official was “looking for trouble.”
In any case, Kavanagh is one referee that Mikel Arteta will now be sick of the sight of.
Arsenal suffer on Chris Kavanagh’s watch
Arteta has taken charge of Arsenal on 235 occasions, winning 139 of those games, enjoying a win rate of 59%.
Over the last two full campaigns, this figure has been even more impressive, with Arteta’s side having been victorious in 71.1% of their matches, according to reporter Matt Scott on X.
However, as per WorldFootball, in 19 Arsenal games Kavanagh has overseen, dating back to 2018, the North London club have only won ten. With the Lancashire-born ref wielding the whistle, Arsenal’s win rate drops to 52.6%. The Gunners have now drawn their last three games that he has taken charge of.
That isn’t to suggest that Kavanagh has any kind of agenda against Arsenal, but football players on the whole are a superstitious bunch and this record certainly won’t endear him to the Arsenal squad.
Arsenal facing midfield crisis
Rice will now be suspended for one game, whilst summer signing Mikel Merino has already succumbed to injury. The Spanish midfielder damaged his shoulder during his first Arsenal training session and is expected to be sidelined for a number of weeks.
Therefore, it is safe to say that neither player will be available for selection after the international break, when Arsenal will get back underway with a North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
It remains to be seen how Arteta will reconfigure his midfield to deal with these absences, but it could create an opportunity for Hale End wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri to get his first minutes of the season.
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