Arsenal fans have pinpointed the incident where referee Chris Kavanagh failed to book Joao Pedro after Declan Rice’s controversial red card.
On Saturday afternoon, Arsenal’s perfect start to the 24/25 Premier League season ended with a 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium.
Kai Havertz’s impressive lob in the 38th minute put Mikel Arteta’s team ahead 1-0 at halftime.
In the second half, Arsenal were down to 10 men after Rice received a second yellow card.
Initially, fans were outraged when replays showed Rice being accidentally kicked by Brighton’s Joel Veltman. However, it was later clarified that Rice had pushed the ball away from Veltman to delay the game’s restart.
The Premier League issued a statement explaining why Rice received the second yellow card.
Following the red card, Arsenal supporters criticized referee Kavanagh for not booking Brighton’s Pedro in the first half when he kicked the ball away after it had gone out of play.
On social media, one fan commented: “Yeah, that’s the main issue here. Consistency!”
Another tweeted: “Double standards, huh?”
A third fan remarked: “Those are the standards of the EPL.”
However, another response pointed out: “He’s not interrupting our players from taking a free kick; different situations. Really stupid from Rice on both cards.”
Someone else added: “The ball was already out of play in that instance.”
On BBC Radio 5 Live, former England defender Stephen Warnock commented: “Declan Rice knew exactly what he was doing. He glanced and pushed the ball away before the challenge came in. You’re asking the referee to make a decision in that moment. Why do it when you’re in that position?”
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka said: “I thought it was a bit harsh on us. We’re just looking for consistency. Joao Pedro kicked the ball halfway across the pitch in the first half and didn’t get penalized, but Dec got sent off for the slightest touch.
“It is what it is. I don’t want to blame the referee entirely since we still had chances to win. It’s been a good start to the season, but today is disappointing. It’s a long season ahead.”
