Arsenal have been on the receiving end of a number of controversial refereeing decisions already this season.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been caught up in accusations of ‘dark arts’. Manchester City defender John Stones described Arsenal as “dirty” due to the tactics that the Gunners employed on their trip to the Etihad Stadium.
Meanwhile, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard have both seen shown second yellow cards and sent off in games this season after having been deemed to have delayed a restart by kicking the ball away after conceding a free kick.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher sided against Rice, and claimed that the Arsenal man deserved to be dismissed for this offence against Brighton.
However, in the same game, the Seagulls forward Joao Pedro hoofed the ball away after Arsenal had been awarded a set-piece and escaped any punishment.
Arsenal icon Ian Wright forces confession from Howard Webb
Legendary former Arsenal striker Ian Wright was quick to raise this point when speaking to PGMOL chief Howard Webb on the latest episode of Stick to Football.
Highlighting Pedro’s actions, Wright said: “With that one, I cannot understand how he can kick the ball so far away and not get booked. It’s the consistency.”
Webb responded with honesty, stating: “We missed the mark on that one, and I did say that publicly as well… We have to be as consistent as we can.”
This inconsistency clearly cost Arsenal dearly in this match, as they were reduced to ten men and ultimately failed to secure all three points against the south coast club, as Pedro himself netted an equaliser for Brighton ten minutes after Rice had been given his marching orders.
Arsenal cannot be defined by officiating errors
Whilst Arteta would have every right to be infuriated by Webb’s admission, the Spanish coach would also accept that human error on the part of referees is part of the game and is going to happen.
The challenge facing the Gunners this season, if they are to be crowned champions, is to rise above the threat posed by officiating mistakes.
First, Arteta needs to impress upon his players the importance of curbing their habit of delaying restarts. Arsenal cannot afford any more suspensions due to this infraction. David Raya was guilty of time wasting during the international break, which may worry Arteta.
On top of that, the North London outfit have to make sure they kill games. Arsenal had had the chances against Brighton to give themselves a healthier lead. However, they failed to take those opportunities, and by the time they were reduced to ten men they only had a one goal cushion to defend.
The same was true in the case of Trossard being sent off against Manchester City, with the same outcome.
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