NEW DELHI: Arsenal drew 1-1 with Brighton on Saturday after Declan Rice was controversially sent off in the Premier League match.
Kai Havertz had put Arsenal ahead, but Rice was sent off in the second half for delaying the restart after fouling Joel Veltman.
Brighton capitalized on their numerical advantage to equalize through Joao Pedro, halting Arsenal’s perfect start to the season.
The incident occurred at the Emirates Stadium, where Rice was shown a second yellow card for a minor act of kicking the ball away and not retreating promptly. The decision baffled Rice and drew the ire of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who sought clarification from the fourth official.
Arsenal fans expressed their frustration with chants directed at referee Chris Kavanagh. “You’re not fit to referee,” chanted Arsenal fans at Kavanagh.
The Premier League later clarified that Rice’s dismissal was due to ‘delaying the restart’. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) could not intervene as the decision involved a yellow card, not a straight red.
Despite being down to ten men, Arsenal couldn’t prevent Brighton from leveling the score.
Joao Pedro’s equalizer marked the end of Arsenal’s winning streak, having started the season with victories against Wolves and Aston Villa. The draw was a setback in their bid to win the title for the first time since 2004.
Rice’s suspension means he will miss Arsenal’s next Premier League match, a north London derby against Tottenham on September 15.
Brighton, under new manager Fabian Hurzeler, extended their unbeaten run to three games. They followed up their recent 2-1 win against Manchester United with another solid performance.
New Arsenal signing Raheem Sterling was present at the match, having joined on loan from Chelsea. Restricted by registration timelines, Sterling couldn’t play but was warmly welcomed by the fans when his name was announced in the stadium.
– Rice sees red –
Bukayo Saka tormented Brighton defender Jack Hinshelwood with his pace and movement in the early stages, easing into space for a pair of shots that Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen repelled.
Ben White tested Verbruggen, who also denied Martin Odegaard as Arsenal swept forward in a red wave.
Arsenal were nearly punished for failing to turn their pressure into a tangible reward when Yankuba Minteh’s header forced a good save from David Raya.
But Arteta’s belief that the inconsistent Havertz can be an adequate striker for a team with title ambitions looked well placed in the 38th minute as the German broke the deadlock.
Havertz came in for criticism after scoring just 13 times last season following his move from Chelsea.
But he showed composure and quality to deftly chip over the on-rushing Verbruggen from the edge of the area after Saka punished Lewis Dunk’s hesitancy with a clever flicked pass.
Rice escaped with only a yellow card after the Arsenal midfielder crunched into Veltman, a decision that saw Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler booked for protesting.
But Rice wasn’t so fortunate in the 49th minute when he was dismissed after kicking the ball away and failing to retreat before a Brighton free-kick.
Rice had just conceded a foul with a challenge on Veltman, whose kick out at the midfielder in the aftermath looked the more significant offence.
Pedro rubbed salt into Arsenal’s wounds with his 58th minute equaliser.
Dunk’s superb pass split the Gunners defence and Minteh sprinted clear for a shot that was pushed out by Raya to Pedro, who fired home from close-range.
It was the first goal Arsenal had conceded this season, but they should have regained the lead when Havertz broke free for a low shot that was too close to Verbruggen, who saved Saka’s sliding effort seconds later.
In a frantic finale, Raya saved Yasin Ayari’s close-range effort and Carlos Baleba smashed over the bar as 10-man Arsenal held on.
Kai Havertz had put Arsenal ahead, but Rice was sent off in the second half for delaying the restart after fouling Joel Veltman.
Brighton capitalized on their numerical advantage to equalize through Joao Pedro, halting Arsenal’s perfect start to the season.
The incident occurred at the Emirates Stadium, where Rice was shown a second yellow card for a minor act of kicking the ball away and not retreating promptly. The decision baffled Rice and drew the ire of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who sought clarification from the fourth official.
Arsenal fans expressed their frustration with chants directed at referee Chris Kavanagh. “You’re not fit to referee,” chanted Arsenal fans at Kavanagh.
The Premier League later clarified that Rice’s dismissal was due to ‘delaying the restart’. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) could not intervene as the decision involved a yellow card, not a straight red.
Despite being down to ten men, Arsenal couldn’t prevent Brighton from leveling the score.
Joao Pedro’s equalizer marked the end of Arsenal’s winning streak, having started the season with victories against Wolves and Aston Villa. The draw was a setback in their bid to win the title for the first time since 2004.
Rice’s suspension means he will miss Arsenal’s next Premier League match, a north London derby against Tottenham on September 15.
Brighton, under new manager Fabian Hurzeler, extended their unbeaten run to three games. They followed up their recent 2-1 win against Manchester United with another solid performance.
New Arsenal signing Raheem Sterling was present at the match, having joined on loan from Chelsea. Restricted by registration timelines, Sterling couldn’t play but was warmly welcomed by the fans when his name was announced in the stadium.
– Rice sees red –
Bukayo Saka tormented Brighton defender Jack Hinshelwood with his pace and movement in the early stages, easing into space for a pair of shots that Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen repelled.
Ben White tested Verbruggen, who also denied Martin Odegaard as Arsenal swept forward in a red wave.
Arsenal were nearly punished for failing to turn their pressure into a tangible reward when Yankuba Minteh’s header forced a good save from David Raya.
But Arteta’s belief that the inconsistent Havertz can be an adequate striker for a team with title ambitions looked well placed in the 38th minute as the German broke the deadlock.
Havertz came in for criticism after scoring just 13 times last season following his move from Chelsea.
But he showed composure and quality to deftly chip over the on-rushing Verbruggen from the edge of the area after Saka punished Lewis Dunk’s hesitancy with a clever flicked pass.
Rice escaped with only a yellow card after the Arsenal midfielder crunched into Veltman, a decision that saw Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler booked for protesting.
But Rice wasn’t so fortunate in the 49th minute when he was dismissed after kicking the ball away and failing to retreat before a Brighton free-kick.
Rice had just conceded a foul with a challenge on Veltman, whose kick out at the midfielder in the aftermath looked the more significant offence.
Pedro rubbed salt into Arsenal’s wounds with his 58th minute equaliser.
Dunk’s superb pass split the Gunners defence and Minteh sprinted clear for a shot that was pushed out by Raya to Pedro, who fired home from close-range.
It was the first goal Arsenal had conceded this season, but they should have regained the lead when Havertz broke free for a low shot that was too close to Verbruggen, who saved Saka’s sliding effort seconds later.
In a frantic finale, Raya saved Yasin Ayari’s close-range effort and Carlos Baleba smashed over the bar as 10-man Arsenal held on.
