The Key Match Incidents panel has backed referee Chris Kavanagh’s decision to send off Declan Rice during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton. Rice, who was already on a yellow card, was dismissed after nudging the ball away from Brighton’s Joel Veltman, leading to his first-ever red card in his professional career. The panel, which reviews major refereeing decisions each week, deemed the call correct.
“Rice knows what he’s doing – it’s a gentle touch, but once the referee sees it, he has no choice,” the panel explained, supporting Kavanagh’s decision.
While the panel backed all on-field decisions from last weekend, they disagreed over not giving Crystal Palace’s Will Hughes a second yellow card in their draw against Chelsea. The panel believed Hughes’ foul on Palmer was hindering a promising attack.
Rice’s dismissal proved costly for Arsenal, who conceded Joao Pedro’s equalizer, allowing Brighton to earn a valuable point that could impact the Premier League title race.
