Bukayo Saka has echoed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s calls for greater consistency with refereeing decisions after Declan Rice’s controversial sending off against Brighton.
The England midfielder was shown a second yellow card early in the second half of Saturday’s action-packed 1-1 Premier League draw at the Emirates Stadium after flicking the ball away to delay the restart as Brighton’s Joel Veltman looked to take a quick free-kick.
The decision stunned the home crowd, many of whom had expected Veltman to be the player punished by referee Chris Kavanagh after making contact with Rice instead of the ball.
The dismissal turned the game on its ahead, with Arsenal leading at the time through Kai Havertz’s fine lofted finish in the first half before the 10 men conceded after only nine minutes when Joao Pedro fired a rebound under David Raya after Yankuba Minteh had been denied initially.
Both sides had chances to win the match thereafter, with Saka and Havertz both denied by Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and Raya also saving from Yasin Ayari.
Arsenal’s first dropped points of the new season were compounded just hours later when Erling Haaland made it back-to-back hat-tricks for reigning champions Manchester City, who beat West Ham 3-1 at the London Stadium to open up a very early two-point lead at the Premier League summit.
Mikel Arteta admitted afterwards that the call to send off Rice could be made under current laws, but he also insisted that Veltman himself should have been dismissed and questioned why Pedro avoided any punishment for smashing the ball away in the first half near the dugout having failed to keep it in play, bemoaning a lack of consistency from referees.
Such sentiments have now been echoed by Saka, who described Rice’s dismissal as “harsh” as he also compared the incidents with his team-mate and Pedro - something Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler insisted should not be done.
"I don’t like to put the whole game on the referee but we just want some consistency,” a frustrated Saka told TNT Sports.
“In the first half, Joao Pedro has kicked it out far away and didn’t get anything for it and Dec’s just done the littlest touch and he’s got a second yellow for it.
“It’s a bit harsh for me but it is what it is.”
