Mikel Arteta was “amazed” by the decision of Chris Kavanagh to show Declan Rice the first red card of his career and insisted it changed the game after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton.
Arsenal looked on course for all three points when Kai Havertz put them ahead in the 38th minute, but Rice received his marching orders 11 minutes later.
Referee Kavanagh showed Rice a second yellow card after the England international subtly kicked away the ball from a Brighton free-kick by the corner flag to delay the restart.
No caution was given to Joel Veltman, who caught Rice in his follow through, and Arsenal failed to hold on with 10-men as Joao Pedro equalised with 58 minutes played and it ended 1-1 in front of a fired up Emirates Stadium crowd.
Arteta bemoaned Kavanagh’s decision and appeared to suggest Pedro, who was later cautioned, should have been given a yellow card in the 18th minute when he kicked the ball away after it had gone out for a throw.
“I was amazed. Amazed, amazed, amazed because of how inconsistent decisions can be,” Arteta reflected.
“In the first half, there are two incidents and nothing happens. Then, in a non-critical area, the ball hits Declan, 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.”
It had been a dramatic 24 hours for Arsenal with the season-long loan signing of Raheem Sterling only confirmed at 1.45am on Saturday, while three other previous key performers departed on the final day of the summer window.
It’s official ✍️ pic.twitter.com/7xEghq08zh
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 31, 2024
Sterling watched new club team-mate Bukayo Saka start in menacing fashion, but the hosts did not take the lead until seven minutes before half-time.
Lewis Dunk was at fault for Arsenal’s opener when he was brushed off the ball too easily by Saka, who laid into the path of Havertz to lob home.
Rice received a caution before half-time when he hacked down Veltman and it would cost him when the pair clashed again in the 49th minute.
After Brighton won a free-kick, Veltman kicked the ball forward and it hit Rice before he tried to take it quickly but the Arsenal midfielder subtly kicked the ball away and was subsequently caught by the Dutch defender.
Even though Arsenal fans called for a red card for Veltman, Rice was sent off and Brighton levelled nine minutes later.
Declan Rice can''t believe it as he''s sent off for kicking the ball away 😳
📺 Watch Arsenal vs. Brighton live on @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/E44NGyfjHz
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 31, 2024
A superb defence-splitting pass by Dunk sent Yankuba Minteh away and while David Raya thwarted him, Pedro fired home to equalise.
Substitutes Yasin Ayari and Georginio Rutter both went close for Brighton, but Arsenal could have claimed all three points only for Havertz to be denied a superb individual goal by the legs of Bart Verbruggen in the 74th minute.
Havertz then turned provider for Saka, but his weak effort was easy for the Seagulls stopper and it finished 1-1.
Arteta continued: “A very emotional afternoon. The referee makes a decision that changes the course of the game.
“And still like this with 10 men, the team reacts unbelievably well, the stadium reacts unbelievably well and probably we should have won the game.”
Frustrated 😤 We’ll take the positives and move onto the next one after the international break! pic.twitter.com/TlG6s4XxMX
— Kai Havertz (@kaihavertz29) August 31, 2024
Fabian Hurzeler, 31, continued his unbeaten start to life as Brighton boss and rejected claims Pedro could have been booked in the first half.
“For me, clear red card. He shoots the ball away. It is wasting time,” Hurzeler said.
“You can’t compare I think these two situations. The first with Joel, it is clear. It is a free kick so it is a static situation.
“The other is much more like a dynamic situation. It was not even clear out (of play), so he tried to keep the ball in the game. Please, never compare these two situations because in football two situations never are the same.”
Interim boss Stephen Frail expects Motherwell to appoint a new manager next week and admits their first job will be to lift the players’ confidence after a 3-0 mauling at home to Ross County.A double from Ronan Hale and Connor Randall’s last-minute strike secured an impressive victory for the Staggies at Fir Park.Defeat sees the Steelmen drop into the bottom half of the Premiership tab...
Mark Hughes heaped praise on goalkeeper Gabe Breeze after Carlisle picked up a vital point in the League Two relegation battle with a goalless draw against in-form Colchester at Brunton Park.Breeze made two excellent saves from Lyle Taylor as the Cumbrians ended a four-game losing run and the former Man City boss was astounded by the 21-year-old’s performance.He said: “The game had som...
Chesterfield boss Paul Cook launched a scathing attack on his play-off hopefuls after they surrendered an early lead to lose 3-1 at Sky Bet League Two table-toppers Walsall.The Spireites enjoyed a rapid start when Jamie Grimes’ eighth-minute header put them ahead against a wobbling Walsall side, who were winless in five matches with the chasing pack closing in.However, Bim Pepple and Dylan D...
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has allayed fears of an injury scare to top scorer Erling Haaland ahead of next week’s Champions League trip to Real Madrid.Haaland went down clutching his leg in the latter stages of the champions’ 4-0 Premier League thrashing of Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and was immediately substituted.Losing the Norwegian would be a major blow to ...
Rotherham manager Steve Evans described Thomas Parsons’ performance as “atrocious” after the referee awarded a stoppage-time penalty from which Reading snatched a 2-1 victory in League One.Reading had led 1-0 at half-time through top scorer Harvey Knibbs but Sam Nombe levelled for Rotherham from a spot-kick in the 57th minute.With the game heading for a draw, Parsons adjudged Mil...
Michael Flynn believes his team can make a charge towards the League Two play-offs places after watching them come from 2-0 down to beat Barrow 3-2 at home.Matty Taylor scored twice before fellow substitute Ashley Hay hit the winner as the Robins continued their perfect home record in 2025.Cheltenham climbed to 13th in the table and sit eight points off seventh-placed Crewe with two games in hand....
Birmingham manager Chris Davies praised Jay Stansfield’s work ethic after he lit up St Andrew’s with the only goal of a 1-0 win to sink play-off chasing Charlton.Stansfield’s 23rd-minute strike stretched City’s lead to nine points ahead of second-placed Wycombe, with Blues boasting a game in hand.Victory was City’s 30th in all competitions as they extended their unbea...
Andoni Iraola refused to get carried away after Bournemouth fans were left dreaming of a potential Champions League adventure following a first league double over south-coast rivals Southampton.Travelling Cherries fans chanted of playing in European football’s premier competition next season after their side soared to fifth spot in the Premier League table thanks to a deserved 3-1 success at...
Norwich head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup praised his side for fighting back to draw 1-1 at Hull after he demanded “I want to see my football team back”.The Norwich boss had some tough words for his team as they trailed 1-0 at half-time to the relegation-threatened side, including for Kellen Fisher – but the player then delivered the assist for Josh Sargent’s equaliser.The Un...
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says Jota has a chance of starting against Bayern Munich after scoring and impressing in a 3-0 victory over Dundee United.Jota earned the club’s man-of-the-match award after cutting in from the left and curling home from 18 yards to double the lead given to the hosts by another impressive finish from Callum McGregor.The Portuguese winger has now started two gam...
