Mikel Arteta ‘stunned’ by Declan Rice’s contentious red card decision

Mikel Arteta expressed his astonishment regarding Declan Rice’s red card during Arsenal’s recent 1-1 draw against Brighton. The manager emphasized the need for greater consistency in officiating decisions throughout the match.

Rice received his marching orders in the 50th minute when referee Chris Kavanagh issued a second yellow card. This decision stemmed from what the Premier League later defined as “delaying the restart.” The incident occurred when Rice nudged the ball away from Joël Veltman, who was preparing to take a free kick, igniting a brief confrontation between the two players.

Veltman, in an attempt to reclaim the ball, inadvertently kicked Rice instead of the ball. Arteta argued that this action warranted a penalty while also noting that Joao Pedro had escaped a booking in the first half for a similar offense, where he kicked the ball away.

“I was amazed. Amazed, amazed, amazed because of how inconsistent decisions can be,” stated Arteta. He pointed out two other incidents from the first half where no action was taken.

He continued, “Then, in a non-critical area, the ball hits Declan on the back of his leg. He turns around, not seeing the player coming, and he touches the ball. By law, he can make that call, but by the same law, he needs to address the next call, which should be a red card. So we end up playing 10 against 10. This is what astounds me. At this level, it’s incredible.”

Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler disagreed with Arteta’s assessment, contending that the two situations were not comparable. “You can’t compare these two situations,” he noted, highlighting the different nature of free kicks and dynamic plays.

Hürzeler explained, “It is a free kick, a static situation. The other is dynamic. It was not even clearly out. We can never compare these situations. No two situations are the same, so you can’t make those comparisons.”

On the other hand, Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka echoed his manager’s call for more consistent officiating. “I thought it was a bit harsh for us,” he remarked to TNT Sports. “We just want some consistency. Joao Pedro booted the ball halfway across the pitch in the first half and got nothing for it, while Declan got a red card for the slightest touch.”

Arsenal managed to take the lead just before halftime, as Saka skillfully delivered a pass to Kai Havertz, who executed a fine finish over Brighton’s goalkeeper, Bart Verbruggen.

Brighton capitalized on their extra man shortly after Rice’s dismissal, equalizing in the 58th minute. Joao Pedro netted the rebound after David Raya initially saved a shot from Yankuba Minteh.

As the match continued, both Saka and Havertz had opportunities to secure a late win for Arsenal, but the team ultimately dropped points for the first time this season in the Premier League.

Arteta remarked on his team’s resilience, saying, “We showed a lot of discipline. We reacted well to the circumstances of playing at home with 10 men. While we didn’t want to fall back so deep into defense, we adapted to the game situation. We should have been rewarded for our efforts.”