In the 49th minute, when Arsenal were leading 1-0, Declan Rice pushed the ball out of bounds, preventing Brighton from taking a quick free kick and taking all of Joel Veltman's shot into the bronze pipes. After that, referee Chris Kavanagh showed him a second yellow card, dismissing Rice from the competition, but did not award the Brighton defender.
Coach Mikel Arteta believes Veltman should have been sent off for kicking Rice's copper pipe. At the same time, the Spanish "captain" criticized Kavanagh for not punishing Brighton for similar acts in the first half.
"I was surprised, surprised, surprised, surprised by inconsistent decisions. In the first half, there were two similar incidents and the referee did not award any. Entering the second half in the non- Dangerous area, the ball hit Rice's feet, he turned around, did not see the opposing player and lightly touched the ball.
According to the law, referees can show Rice a yellow card. But according to the law, he has to give a red card to a Brighton player. This is what surprised me," said Arteta after the match.
The Premier League explained that Rice had obstructed the opponent and received a second yellow card. This is also the English midfielder's first red card after 245 appearances in the Premier League.
The arrival of Raheem Sterling has excited many "Gunners" fans present at the Emirates. However, Arsenal eventually only got a 1-1 draw with Brighton when concerns began to appear.
The FIFA Days in September was a necessary period for Arsenal to rest and regain their composure after Rice's red card. But then there are promising very difficult matches against Tottenham and Manchester City in the Premier League, interspersed with the confrontation with Atalanta in the Champions League.
The Gunners' 32.5 million-dollar signing Mikel Merino is likely to miss all three of those games after breaking his shoulder in the first training session. Rice will also be suspended after his controversial red card.
The upcoming international break will shape Arsenal's approach and also give Sterling a chance to integrate. Without being called up by caretaker England manager Lee Carsley, Sterling will still train at Arsenal's London Colney and become a familiar with Arteta. Before that, the two worked together for 3 years at Man City.
"We have to meet Sterling, talk to him about what he did. We will try to help Sterling get up to speed as quickly as possible and let him understand what we are looking for from him. We will use the upcoming sp time to do that and help him integrate as soon as possible" - Arteta said.
Arteta also shared about the absences of Rice and Merino in the coming time. "This is what happened. We have to adapt to that context. That is why we have other players who can take this role. I will give that opportunity to others".
