Arsenal failed to keep their winning streak going to start the Premier League season on Saturday as Declan Rice was sent off against Brighton.
The Gunners faced a tough test against Brighton in the early English top-flight match of the weekend. The Seagulls, like Arsenal, began the current campaign with a pair of victories.
While many soccer fans were looking forward to the fixture, the game was unfortunately marred by an awful refereeing decision.
The Gunners took a lead in the matchup minutes before halftime thanks to a goal from Kai Havertz. Four minutes after the opening goal, star midfielder Declan Rice picked up a yellow card for a late tackle. This particular incident would go on to play a part in the biggest moment of the game.
Minutes after the halftime break, match referee Chris Kavanagh elected to show Rice a second yellow card for an incident with Joel Veltman. The Gunners star fouled Veltman, which gave Brighton a free kick.
As Rice began to walk away from the spot, he nudged the ball away from Veltman.
The Brighton defender then subsequently kicked Rice in the legs. Veltman, despite the clash, avoided any punishment. The bizarre call undoubtedly changed the game. Brighton eventually fought back with the man advantage to take a point back to the South Coast.
Refereeing inconsistency ruins much-anticipated game
Some fans and pundits may point out that players can’t kick the ball away ahead of a free kick. This can be technically true. These instances are, however, seen weekly in the Premier League without any punishment.
Kavanagh also elected not to caution Brighton forward Joao Pedro earlier in the game for a much worse example.
After the ball ran out of play in the first half, the Brazilian emphatically kicked the ball away and back onto the pitch 30 yards away.
The move blocked Arsenal from being able to take a quick thrown-in. NBC Sports analyst Tim Howard commented after the match that giving Pedro a…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/petty-ref-decision-sends-declan-rice-off-in-arsenal-brighton-tie/
Author : Chris Moore
Publish date : 2024-08-31 16:16:25
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.