Arsenal lost their unbeaten record for the season after drawing 1-1 with Brighton at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Declan Rice was dismissed early in the second half for receiving a second yellow card, and ten minutes later, Brighton equalized through Joao Pedro. This red card means Rice will be suspended for Arsenal’s next match against Tottenham after the international break.
Despite it being only the third game of the season, Ian Wright is already irate about a refereeing decision, believing that Arsenal fans are also frustrated due to the second yellow card issued to Rice.
During a free kick awarded to the away team near the corner flag in Brighton’s half, Joel Veltman tried to take it quickly, but Rice obstructed the ball, slowly pushing it out of play. After Rice was knocked to the ground and got up, he was shown a red card.
Chris Kavanagh was the referee, and his decisions have upset Arsenal supporters.
Wright didn’t hold back, criticizing Kavanagh for having a “main character” attitude and taking a harsh stance against the official.
One major grievance was that Joao Pedro, who scored for Brighton in the first half, kicked the ball away when it went out of play, resulting in an Arsenal throw-in, but was not booked. This discrepancy frustrated Arteta and the Arsenal players.
Wright expressed his disappointment about Rice’s red card and the inconsistent refereeing. He argued that if players like Pedro can get away with actions in the first half, then similar behavior should be treated consistently throughout the match. Wright also pointed out that Veltman seemed to be intentionally trying to provoke a second yellow card for Rice. Wright believes that if referees are going to penalize such actions, it should be done fairly and consistently from start to finish.
