Arsenal star Declan Rice has spoken publicly about his controversial red card against Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Gunners’ winning start to the 24/25 Premier League season came to an end on Saturday afternoon after they drew 1-1 against Brighton at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s men were well on their way to collecting all three points after Kai Havertz’s brilliantly taken goal gave them a 1-0 halftime lead.
However, in the second half, the match was changed in a matter of moments as Rice was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away.
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Unsurprisingly, Gunners fans and manager Arteta were not happy with Chris Kavanagh’s decision.
Arteta said he was ‘amazed’ by the call and again called questioned the ‘inconsistency’ of referee decisions.
After the match, Rice himself admitted the decision was harsh but ultimately, correct.
He said: “I was shocked. I think you could see in my face I was shocked. I’ve not sprinted back in front of him (Veltman) and smashed the ball away. I’ve touched the ball with the outside of my foot.
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“Look, this is the law of the game. If you touch the ball away, even a little bit, obviously it’s a red card after my challenge in the first half, which I fully accept was a 50-50 that I didn’t win. But the second-half one, especially with it being in the corner flag, they (Brighton) can’t really progress anywhere from there.”
Rice added: “It was tough, it was harsh, but it’s one of those things. I have to move on from it. I will be better for it and I can only praise the players for digging deep for me and the manager (Arteta) for pushing everyone, and the fans as well, who were unbelievable again this afternoon. That’s how I see it.
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"That’s my first sending-off in my career, so I just wanted to apologise to my team-mates, which I’ve done, and to the fans."
Topics: Arsenal, Declan Rice, Football, Brighton And Hove Albion
Marcus Chan