In most situations, Arsenal would be disappointed to finish a home Premier League match against Brighton without gaining all three points.
Yet on Saturday, the draw could be considered a strong achievement as they were forced to navigate almost the entire second half down a man. Declan Rice was sent off by referee Chris Kavanagh for a second yellow card shortly after halftime.
In the 49th minute, Rice fouled Joel Veltman down near the corner flag. As the Brighton man went to get play restarted quickly, he appeared to miss the ball, following through and kicking the Arsenal midfielder instead, who crumpled to the ground in a heap.
Yet shortly after the referee calmed the ensuing scuffle, he showed Rice his second yellow card of the game, surprising not just the Arsenal man but also the players and fans who all appeared baffled. The Sporting News makes sense of the decision that left the Gunners down a man for nearly 40 minutes en route to the 1-1 draw at Emirates Stadium.
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Why was Declan Rice given red card vs. Brighton?
Having already been booked just before the interval, Arsenal midfielder Rice was sent for an early shower shortly after the restart.
In the 48th minute, Rice was whistled for a foul deep in Brighton territory, for dragging Veltman to the ground. While it may have seemed at first that he was booked for that foul — which would have indeed been ridiculous, as it was nothing more than a common infringement — that was not actually the case.
Instead, Rice was booked a second time for delaying the restart of the match. Veltman rolled the ball towards the Arsenal midfielder, who has his back turned. It clipped the back of Rice's heel and, as Veltman went to take a quick free-kick. Rice nudged the ball away with the outside of his right boot at the last moment, resulting in Veltman swinging, missing and kicking the England international in the leg instead.
According to the official laws of the game, referees are instructed to book players for "kicking or carrying the ball away" from a designated free-kick.
Premier League Match Center, the new X account designed to deliver official reasoning for refereeing decisions in the Premier League, confirmed this was the case, posting "The referee issued a second yellow card to Declan Rice for delaying the restart."
Why was Declan Rice red card controversial?
There are many aspects of the red card issued by referee Chris Kavanagh that fans and media have called into question.
By the letter of the law, Kavanagh probably has a pathway towards a defense of his action. Because of this, VAR likely couldn't take any action to overturn the decision, since some justification existed. Especially in the current environment, where the league has emphasized the idea that a "referee's call" must be given every chance to stand. VAR can only intervene in the event of a "clear and obvious error", meaning the video officials had little room for action.
Yet, at the same time, it defies every aspect of the sport's common sense.
“Listen, everyone who’s played football understands what’s happened there," said former England striker Peter Crouch, who was working as a pundit for TNT Sport. "Veltman’s quite simply played the referee. There’s absolutely no way he’s trying to play a 60-yard pass to nobody. He’s literally trying to get Declan Rice into trouble, he knows he’s on a yellow card and that’s been the difference in the game.
“Having said that, Declan Rice does nick the ball away and under the letter of the law that’s a red card. There’s bit of ‘housery involved and Veltman plays the referee but he probably has to go because he does nick the ball away.”
This rule has been much more widely enforced in recent years as referees rightly crack down on players booting the ball away to allow their team precious seconds to reorganize and prevent quick restarts. However, this usually involves the player forcibly punting or rifling the ball halfway down the pitch or into the stands, clearly delaying match action.
That was hardly the case here, as Rice barely nudged the ball out of the way. Sure, he probably knows what he's doing, but does he really delay the match in any way? Veltman couldn't have taken that free-kick legally in the first place as the ball was still moving. In the end, the decision leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Brighton playmaker Joao Pedro was not punished for his 30-yard hoof of the ball earlier in the match, preventing Arsenal from taking a quick free-kick in the 17th minute.
What did Mikel Arteta say about Declan Rice red card?
Speaking to TNT Sport afterwards, Arteta highlighted inconsistencies in Kavanagh's application of the law on delaying restarts and also insisted Veltman should have seen red for his violent-looking involvement in the flashpoint.
“If it happens throughout the game in a consistent way that’s fine, but it didn’t happen," he said. “In the first half there are a number of occasions where they kicked the ball away and nothing happened.
“It’s the inconsistency, especially as well because it is in an area where it is not critical. And, on top of that, if you make that call then you have to give a red card as well. If we have to play with 10 they [should] have to play with 10 because it’s a red card for Veltman.”
What did Brighton boss Fabian Hurezler say about Declan Rice red card?
Unsurprisingly, new Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler has supported the referee's decision to send Declan Rice off when asked about the game-changing moment after the match.
"Clear red card," Hurzeler told reporters after the game. "He shoots the ball away. If Arsenal think otherwise, there are now two opinions."
Yet when presented with the entirely reasonable notion of inconsistent refereeing when compared to the Joao Pedro incident from the first half, he backed his player.
"You can't compare the two situations," Hurzeler retorted. "Please don't compare the two situations."
What games will Declan Rice miss for suspension?
For being sent off as a result of a second yellow card, Declan Rice will be suspended for one Premier League match.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, that leaves the Gunners without their midfield rock for the upcoming north London derby at arch-rivals Tottenham on September 15 after the international break.