After Kai Havertz put the Gunners ahead, Rice was booked for a reckless tackle on Joel Veltman late in the first half. Shortly after the second half began, Rice was shown a second yellow card for nudging the ball away from Veltman as he attempted a quick free-kick.
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Kavanagh’s decision to send Rice off was met with controversy, particularly since a similar incident involving Joao Pedro went unpunished earlier in the match. Brighton capitalized on Arsenal being reduced to 10 men, with Pedro scoring the equalizer.
Following a review, the KMI panel unanimously supported Kavanagh’s decision, stating, “Rice knows what he’s doing – it’s a gentle touch, but once the referee sees it, he has no choice.”
As a result, Rice will be suspended for Arsenal’s upcoming match against Spurs, where they aim to maintain their unbeaten start to the season. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his frustration with what he called inconsistency in Kavanagh’s officiating.
‘I was amazed. Amazed, amazed, amazed because of how inconsistent decisions can be. In the first half, there are two incidents and nothing happens.
‘Then, in a non-critical area, the ball hits Declan (on the back of his leg), he turns around, he doesn’t see the player coming and he touches the ball.
‘By law, he can make that call, but then by law he needs to make the next call, which is red card so we play 10 vs 10. This is what amazed me. At this level it’s amazing.
‘Anyway I repeat myself – by law if you want to do it you have to do it, but you have to do it in the first half and play 10 against 10. That’s it. Very simple.’
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