After Arsenal’s match against Brighton at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon, referee Chris Kavanagh came under scrutiny.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw, and John Terry expressed frustration over Kavanagh’s decision to issue a second yellow card to Declan Rice. Shortly after Rice’s dismissal, Joao Pedro equalized, which diminished Arsenal’s momentum.
In a contentious decision early in the second half, Rice was booked for what appeared to be a delay in restarting play following a foul on Joel Veltman. Despite Kai Havertz’s goal giving Arsenal the lead, Brighton leveled the score an hour into the game.
The decision to send off Rice puzzled some observers, especially since Pedro had committed a similar infraction earlier without facing any penalty. These issues were raised with Mikel Arteta and Fabian Hürzeler after the match.
Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, urged the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) to ensure fairness, but Brighton’s manager dismissed these concerns. Arteta criticized the inconsistency in officiating, stating, “If bookings for delaying the restart were applied consistently throughout the game, it would be acceptable. But that wasn’t the case,” highlighting a lack of continuity.
When asked for a response, Arteta expressed frustration, saying, “None, as always.” He reflected on the game, noting that despite a strong start and an early lead, the controversial decision significantly impacted the match.
Fabian Hürzeler commented on Match of the Day, noting that the incident involved a clear yellow card for kicking the ball away, which disrupted the game’s momentum.
Kavanagh’s decision sparked widespread debate among fans, experts, and former players, with John Terry being the latest to voice his discontent, calling it the “Worst decision EVER.” Declan Rice also shared his disappointment on Instagram, stating he felt the second yellow card was undeserved but promised to learn from it and thanked supporters. His post garnered nearly 10,000 comments before he chose to end the discussion. William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko supported Rice, while Terry expressed his anger with an emotive comment.
Mark Halsey also weighed in, criticizing Kavanagh’s decision. He argued that since the ball was already in motion when Brighton’s Joel Veltman took the free kick, the restart was correctly executed. Halsey suggested Kavanagh’s decision to issue a second yellow was misguided and that better communication with both teams could have avoided the controversy.
