Declan Rice was sent off in controversial fashion as Arsenal were held to a feisty 1-1 draw by Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday. The England midfielder received the first red card of his 245-game top-flight career at the Emirates Stadium, with his second caution for flicking the ball away as Joel Veltman tried to take a quick free-kick the major contentious talking point from an action-packed contest between two in-form sides who had each made 100 per cent starts to the new season.
Arsenal led 1-0 at the time of Rice’s dismissal by referee Chris Kavanagh early in the second half after Kai Havertz had lofted home from Bukayo Saka’s pass after a moment to forget for Lewis Dunk, but held out for only nine minutes with 10 men before Joao Pedro fired in after David Raya had initially denied Yankuba Minteh. There were further chances at either end in a dramatic finish to the contest, with Havertz and Saka both thwarted by Bart Verbruggen as Raya also saved from Yasin Ayari.
Arsenal dropped points for the first time this season after back-to-back wins to start, with their disappointment compounded by reigning champions Manchester City hours later as they brushed aside West Ham 3-1 thanks to another Erling Haaland hat-trick to open up a very early two-point advantage at the Premier League summit. Follow Arsenal vs Brighton reaction live below!
