DECLAN RICE was CORRECTLY dismissed in Arsenal’s draw with Brighton – according to the Prem’s expert panel of former players, coaches and referees.
PGMOL’s “Key Match Incident” team reviews every major decision across each of the Prem’s 380 games.
And while Gunners boss Mikel Arteta said he was “amazed” that Rice was dismissed by Chris Kavanagh after kicking the ball away to prevent Joel Veltman taking a free-kick for the Seagulls, the call was confirmed by a unanimous verdict.
Rice, who had been booked for a first-half foul, picked up a second yellow card in a decision that changed the game, with Joao Pedro equalising for Brighton.
Despite Arteta’s complaints, the England midfielder went in front of the TV cameras to hold up his hands about the card.
And the five-man panel agreed he had acted in a “clear, deliberate and impactful” manner, which warranted Kavanagh’s decision.
All the other crunch calls during the weekend before the international break were backed by the panel.
But there was only a 3-2 agreement that referee Jarred Gillett was right not to give Crystal Palace’s Will Hughes a second yellow card when he fouled Chelsea’s Cole Palmer from behind in the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Meanwhile, Prem statistics also show that the Rice decision was keeping with League policies.
PGMOL stats show that, rather than a rare occurrence, Rice’s caution was part of a pattern of offences which have been punished more severely over the past two seasons.
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In the 2022-23 season, there were 118 cards issued for the offence but that almost doubled to 215 yellow cards last term.
Rice is now set to miss Sunday’s crunch North London Derby at Tottenham.
The Arsenal star had a slow start to the season and was sent off for the first time in his 245-game career in the Prem.
