Arsenal drop early points in title race after controversial Rice red

Mikel Arteta says that Arsenal will have to be almost perfect to beat Manchester City to the title, and this was a game where they could look at the referee and dwell on decisions — or look at themselves and consider how they could manage situations better.
It hinged on the first red card of Declan Rice’s career, a contentious call. But a call that, under the rules, could be justified by Chris Kavanagh, which is why self-analysis, and a stiffening of mentality, should be the Arsenal reaction rather than complaints. This was two points lost by themselves in a fog of red rather than ones completely unjustly snatched away.
Arsenal were 1-0 up, in control, and hunting a second goal with half-time approaching when Rice, emerging from a challenge with Carlos Baleba, overran the ball and launched into a tackle he was never likely to win. He ploughed into Joël Veltman and Kavanagh brandished a yellow card. Rice’s foot had been raised and Fabian Hürzeler was booked for protesting from the Brighton & Hove Albion bench that the punishment should have been more severe.
The incident raised the temperature of the game. When it restarted after half-time, tackles had more bite and faces wore more aggression, and down by the corner flag Rice fouled Veltman, who played him like a fiddle. With Rice’s back turned Veltman knocked the ball against him and then, as Rice wheeled round, turned and flicked the ball away, made a show of wanting to take a quick free kick. He kicked through Rice, while throwing his arms wide in a gesture of, “What else could I do?”
Rice was booked for a second time, with Kavanagh penalising him for delaying the restart. Arsenal could argue the decision was petty and that given the ball was rolling there was no chance of Veltman really being able to take the free kick quickly, but by the letter of the law Rice brought the offence on himself.
Arteta declared himself “amazed, amazed, amazed” by Kavanagh’s lack of consistency and he did have a point in that João Pedro escaped punishment for hoofing the ball away in the first half. “By law [the referee] can make the call but by law he has to also make the next call,” the Arsenal manager added. “In the first half there were a number of occasions where they kicked the ball away and nothing happened. It’s inconsistency.”
Bukayo Saka echoed his manager’s take. “We just want some consistency,” he said. “João Pedro booted the ball halfway across the pitch in the first half and got nothing for it. Dec got the slightest touch and was sent off.”
But the fact remained that Rice, despite his experience, opened himself up to a possible punishment. Players and managers were briefed, before the season, by the PGMOL that there would be a crackdown on delaying restarts and kicking the ball away.
Hürzeler declared the incident “a clear red card” and reinforced his frustration at Rice’s earlier challenge on Veltman. “No one will complain if the referee gives the red card for that, not the foul but the way he went in,” the Brighton head coach said.
After Rice’s departure, Brighton grabbed hold of the game. Hürzeler has made them spikier, more rugged and quicker and more vertical in their play, and his young team are not flattered by their position at the top of the table. Pedro, a constant handful, equalised after a brilliant pass by Lewis Dunk, who atoned for bad defending when Kai Havertz scored the opening goal.
Arteta was forced to bring on Riccardo Calafiori, go five at the back and play on the break. Both sides had chances to win and a draw was fair.
As if to troll Arsenal, Veltman was named the man of the match. Brighton’s other full back, Jack Hinshelwood, also had an eventful 90 minutes. The 19-year-old, having previously played on the right, was making only his fourth appearance at left back and his task was to try to curb an electric Saka. It was like asking a learner driver to race the Monaco Grand Prix.
From the second minute, when Saka jagged past him on the outside to dribble along the byline and into Brighton’s box, Hinshelwood knew he was in for a torrid time. Soon he was having to pull Saka down after the England winger had got on his wrong side, and found himself stranded when Martin Odegaard lobbed a pass over him to Saka, whose shot lacked the power to beat Bart Verbruggen.
Hinshelwood’s task was made harder by Odegaard, who kept infiltrating the space between him and Dunk, leaving him a dilemma of whether to tuck in and mark the Norway midfielder or stay on Saka. During a break in play to treat James Milner, who ultimately went off with a hamstring injury, Hürzeler gave Hinshelwood instructions and off he trotted wearing that truculent look teens wear when asked to do something they don’t fancy. It said, “Even tidying my room would be better.”
Havertz’s goal sprang from a Saka intervention, though Dunk was Brighton’s main culprit. Jurrien Timber hoisted the ball into Brighton territory, where Dunk lost concentration, half-turning away from it. Ever competitive and alert, Saka peeled off Hinshelwood — busy making a futile offside claim when he should have been covering — and bumped Dunk aside, volleying a pass to send Havertz clear. Verbruggen was out smartly but Havertz, with that quick brain of his, read the goalkeeper’s movement and beat him via a lob struck early and with just the right weight.
Odegaard was not clinical enough when Leandro Trossard set him up with a gorgeous cross but when Havertz was weak with a clearing header Kaoru Mitoma almost punished Arsenal, volleying close, and this typified Brighton’s readiness to pounce on weakness. As did the way Veltman lured Rice to his dismissal.
With Danny Welbeck dropping off and Pedro, Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh running beyond him, Brighton’s movement was a continual challenge to Arteta’s defenders and when Dunk saw Minteh charging into a gap between William Saliba and Gabriel he fed a brilliant pass to the Gambia international. Minteh held off Gabriel and though David Raya parried his shot Pedro arrived to drive home the equaliser.
Brighton’s two 20-year-olds in midfield, Baleba and Yasin Ayari (Milner’s replacement) were terrific and Mitoma worried Ben White but Gabriel, Saliba and Raya dug in and Arteta’s adjustments worked well. On breaks, Saka had two chances to win it and Havertz fluffed a good situation. Given the adversity a point wasn’t bad — but then again nor was the perfection jousting with City demands.
Star man João Pedro.
Arsenal (4-3-3): D Raya 8 — B White 5, W Saliba 7, Gabriel 7, J Timber 7 (O Zinchenko 80min) — M Odegaard 6 (G Martinelli 74), T Partey 6, D Rice 3 — B Saka 7, K Havertz 7, L Trossard 6 (R Calafiori 59, 6). Booked Partey, Timber, Raya. Sent off Rice.
Brighton (4-2-3-1): B Verbruggen 7 — J Veltman 6 (P Estupiñán 72), J-P van Hecke 7, L Dunk 6, J Hinshelwood 5 — J Milner 4 (S Ayari 17, 7), C Baleba 7 — Y Minteh 7 (G Rutter 72), J Pedro 8, K Mitoma 7 (S Adingra 85) — Welbeck 6 (Enciso 85). Booked Minteh, Pedro.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh.