A gobsmacked Mikel Arteta said he was “amazed” that Declan Rice was sent off as Arsenal dropped two points against Brighton and hit out at the lack of “consistency” in giving out bookings for kicking the ball away.
With Arsenal winning 1-0 and on course for a ninth straight Premier League win, Rice delayed the restart at a Brighton free-kick, colliding with Joel Veltman’s swinging leg before going down.
The Arsenal midfielder, already booked for a wild challenge on Veltman in the first half, was shown his marching orders by referee Chris Kavanagh due to a second bookable offence.
Arteta believed Veltman should have been sent off for his involvement in the incident, while he also criticised Kavanagh for not punishing Brighton for similar offences in the first half, including one where Joao Pedro kicked the ball into the Emirates crowd as it was running out of play.
Arsenal’s Declan Rice looked gobsmacked after his sending off
“I was amazed. Amazed, amazed, amazed because of how inconsistent decisions can be,” said Arteta in his post-match press conference.
“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 [the referee] 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.”
Arteta felt Joel Veltman (No 34) should have seen red as well
Asked if he has spoken to Rice about the incident, Arteta replied: “Yeah. He obviously had a reaction that his back was to the ball, that they’re not in the middle of the park, trying to counter or anything.
“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.”
Hurzeler: It was a clear red card – Rice should have been off beforehand
Brighton scored minutes after Rice’s red card through Joao Pedro
Asked about the incident, Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler said Rice deserved his second yellow card and dismissed claims his Seagulls players deserved punishments for similar offences.
“For me, clear red card. He shoots the ball away. It’s wasting time,” Hurzeler said.
Pushed on whether Brighton forward Pedro should have been booked for a similar incident in the first half, the 31-year-old replied: “You can’t compare these two situations. The first with Joao is clear, it’s a free-kick. A static situation.
“The other is more like a dynamic situation. It [the ball] was not as clearly out. He tried to keep the ball. Please never compare these situations because in football two situations are never the same.”
The red card changed the course of the game
Hurzeler also believed Rice should have received a straight red card in the first half in the incident that saw him pick up his first booking.
Rice went in for a wild challenge on Veltman and Kavanagh produced a yellow card, with Hurzeler also booked for his protestations to the fourth official.
“I was complaining about the tackle against Joel,” he said. “I didn’t see it yet.
“Of course we can accept in the Premier League it’s a yellow card. The referee made that decision. I thought it was a red card not because of the foul but the way he’s going in.”
Arsenal’s midfield crisis for key Tottenham game
Kai Havertz could be set for a midfield role after Rice’s red card
The sending off leaves Arsenal in a difficult scenario.
With Rice suspended and new midfield signing Mikel Merino suffering a fractured shoulder in his first training session for the club on Thursday, the sales of Fabio Vieira and Emile Smith Rowe this summer mean the Gunners are short for midfielders for their next game – a north London derby at Tottenham on September 15, live on Sky Sports.
Arsenal have Jorginho and Leandro Trossard who can fill in Rice’s midfield position, while Kai Havertz played there last season but is currently the only fit centre forward the Gunners have due to Gabriel Jesus’ injury.
The Gunners also have highly rated teenage midfielders Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly in their ranks, with both on the bench against Brighton.
“Well, this is what happens,” Arteta said about the midfield crisis. “We have to adapt to that context.
“That’s why we have other players that can fulfil that [role] and [I can] give that opportunity to somebody else.”
Asked if the midfield crisis could mean an earlier-than-expected Arsenal debut for Raheem Sterling, who joined from Chelsea on Deadline Day, Arteta said: “We have to see him, speak to him [about] what he’s been doing and how he’s feeling about it, and try to find quick wins to get him up to speed as quickly as possible and for him to understand what we are looking for from him in the dynamics of the team.
“We will use that time to do that and get him involved as soon as possible.”
