Declan Rice fortunate to avoid red card in Brighton defeat

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was lucky not to be dismissed in the dying moments of Saturday's 3-0 loss to Brighton. This is the view of former PGMOL head and FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider. The 27-year-old received a booking from Darren England after seemingly kicking out at Malick Yalcouye in an off-the-ball incident. It was a disappointing day for Arsenal, as goals from Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andres marked the champions' first defeat of the season. Mikel Arteta's team had been flawless prior to Saturday, winning seven consecutive matches across all competitions. However, the international break will now offer an opportunity to regroup ahead of Leeds United's visit to the Emirates Stadium in October.

"It is rare to see Rice lose his cool, but he was evidently frustrated by Saturday's display," Hackett noted. That frustration manifested in the game's closing moments, following a late and unnecessary push from Yalcouye. The England international reacted by running towards the Brighton player and tripping him. The players clashed, with Rice ultimately receiving a yellow card from England before the final whistle blew soon after. "Declan Rice clearly kicked his opponent in an act of retaliation. The incident took place off the ball and Rice is fortunate that the referee determined the action was reckless and a yellow card," Hackett explained. "This kick in retaliation is, in law, a violent action and Rice is fortunate that referee England did not display a red card. The action by his opponent should have resulted in a yellow card."

Hackett also referenced the incident involving Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, who kicked Phil Foden last week and received no punishment. "Given the incident last week involving the Manchester United captain [Bruno Fernandes] where he kicked [Phil] Foden and also received no sanction, Pro Ref has clearly set the bar too high when a player kicks an opponent," he stated.

The Fernandes incident mentioned by Hackett occurred during the controversial Manchester derby. The Portugal international had taken a slight swipe at the grounded Foden, who retaliated by kicking upwards towards Fernandes. Foden was sent off while Fernandes was not, leading to debates about whether both players should have been dismissed. Inconsistency in officiating has been a recurring topic this season, with Pro Ref seemingly struggling to apply their own guidelines.

Source: Footballinsider247