English Premier League giants Arsenal played Brighton & Hove Albion FC at the iconic Emirates Stadium today. The game ended with a 1-1 draw, filled with drama and controversies. At the center of all these controversies was Declan Rice’s sent-off after being shown a red.
Arsenal displayed a below-par performance at home today when they hosted Brighton. From having half the number of shots compared to Brighton to not being able to keep even 40% possession, Arsenal messed it all up.
However, they did enjoy the lead initially, when Kai Havertz scored from a beautiful counter-attack, with a shot going above the opponent goalie in the 38th minute. The Gunners started to lose control of the game from the initial moments of the second half itself.
Things started to be worse after a bizarre red card was handed to Declan Rice. Following this Brighton equalized in just ten minutes, and held on to it till the final whistle.
Why was Declan Rice shown a red card vs Brighton?
Declan Rice, one of the bright stars of the game, was booked with a yellow card in the ending minutes of the first half of the game itself. The English defensive midfielder tackled Brighton’s Joel Veltman at around 42 minutes of the game. Rice was late for the ball and attacked the defender’s leg instead.
Up next, in the early minutes of the second half, the same Veltman was given a free-kick in Brighton’s half. Veltman was attempting to take a quick set-piece. Rice hurried to take the ball in control and got kicked by Veltman in the process. Just after this Rice fell in the field.
The referee rushed to the scene, to show a yellow. Many thought it was Veltman, but it was Rice who got booked yet again, and so was shown a red after a second yellow. While the situation was bizarre to most, Rice seems to have been penalized for kicking the ball while the other team was to take a set-piece.
The decision has caught the eye of many, including many football pundits, analysts, and even thousands of fans.
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