Declan Rice was sent off as Arsenal dropped points at home in game week 3 of the Premier League. Arteta’s men faced Brighton challenge at the Emirates. Brighton were coming off a big 2-1 win against Man Utd. It was always going to be a close game in London. Kai Havertz broke the deadlock as he put the Gunners ahead. Fans were quite content as the Gunners lead 1-0 at halftime. But, the 25-year-old midfielder saw red in the 49th minute of the game. And things started going south for the home side. Joao Pedro put Brighton back on level terms. As a result, the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Declan Rice sent off: Arsenal treated unfairly?
The 25-year-old midfielder picked up his first yellow in the opening half of the 90. Soon after the restart in the second half, he fouled Joel Veltman. Well, the foul was not that serious. All in all, it should have been a simple free kick. But Chris Kavanaugh, the referee, saw Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice kicking the ball away. As a result, the referee did not hesitate to pull out the second yellow. Consequently, the Gunners were down to 10. But, many believe that the 25-year-old was treated unfairly. There were a lot of factors involved and the referee was unable to make the right decision.
Ex-Premier Leaue referee gives verdict
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey spoke about the sending off. As per football.london, he clarified that the ball was still rolling as Veltman looked to take the free-kick. So, technically speaking, it wasn’t a proper restart. As a result, Declan Rice kicking the ball away for Arsenal could not be time delaying. He further added by talking about Chris Kavanaugh, stating: “A referee of his calibre at this level should not be sending players off for this. He should have managed the situation better by speaking to both players“. Poor refereeing decisions like these can really make a big difference. Given that it is still the start of a new season, but the Gunners still ended up dropping points. If something like this recurs in the decisive moments of the league, they may end up losing the title again.
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