London, Aug 31: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was left fuming at what he called inconsistent refereeing after Declan Rice’s sending-off led to Arsenal dropping its first points of the Premier League season in a 1-1 draw against Brighton on Saturday.
Arsenal was 1-0 up and looked in control when Rice was shown a second yellow card in the 49th minute, apparently for nudging the ball to the side as Joel Veltman tried to take a quick free kick near the sideline deep inside Brighton’s half.
Veltman kicked Rice from behind in the process and the home crowd was screaming for the Brighton player to get sanctioned, only for referee Chris Kavanagh to show Rice a red card instead.
“I was amazed. Amazed, amazed, amazed, because of how inconsistent decisions can be,” Arteta said, arguing that similar offences went unpunished earlier in the game.“By law, he (Kavanagh) can make the call. But by law then, he needs to make the next call, which is red card (for Veltman). So, we play 10 against 10.” Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka also pointed to Pedro escaping without a booking for kicking the ball away much more forcefully in the first half to prevent Arsenal from taking a quick throw-in.
“We just want some consistency,” Saka said. “Joao Pedro booted the ball halfway across the pitch in the first half and got nothing for it and Dec got the slightest touch and was sent off.” That decision turned the game completely and Joao Pedro equalized from a rebound in the 58th after David Raya had saved a shot from Yankuba Minteh.
Kai Havertz had put Arsenal ahead in the 38th with a lob over goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and had a chance to restore Arsenal’s lead when he ran through on goal again in the 74th, but his low shot was saved that time.
Saka also had a late chance for a winner after meeting a cross from Havertz, but his lunging effort didn’t cause much of a problem for Verbruggen.Brighton and Arsenal were two of four teams to win their opening two league games. The draw gives defending champion Manchester City a chance to go top of the standings if it beats West Ham away in Saturday’s late kick-off.
Liverpool also has six points from two games and plays at Manchester United on Sunday. The draw leaves Arsenal with a sense of frustration as they drop their first points of the Premier League season, while Brighton will be satisfied with the hard-earned result. The controversy surrounding Rice’s red card will undoubtedly linger, but Arsenal must now regroup as they face tougher challenges ahead. Meanwhile, the draw opens the door for Manchester City to seize the top spot. (AP)
