The Premier League’s Match Incidents panel has confirmed that referee Chris Kavanagh had “no choice” but to send off Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice during the match against Brighton.
As a result of the red card, Rice will miss Arsenal’s upcoming clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Rice, who was already on a yellow card at the start of the second half, received a second booking for delaying a quick free kick by Joel Veltman.
Though Rice made only slight contact with the ball, Kavanagh deemed it enough to warrant a second yellow for impeding his opponent.
The panel unanimously supported the decision, stating:
“Rice knew what he was doing — it was a light touch, but once the referee spotted it, he had no choice.”
