Arsenal: Wright throws shade at Premier League referee for Rice sending off

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has slammed Premier League referee Chris Kavanagh for his controversial red card towards Gunners midfielder Declan Rice at the weekend.

The Arsenal midfielder was given his marching orders on the 49th minute in a disappointing 1-1 draw to Brighton on Saturday, as they dropped two points at the Emirates.

The 25-year-old kicked the ball away as Joel Veltman was about to take a free kick, in what was his second booking of the game.

While Wright believes Rice will be “a little disappointed”, the former front man has aimed his frustrations towards the referee over the red card.

“You have to take the point,” Wright told Premier League Productions. “I do think Declan (Rice) will look at the two yellows and be a little disappointed.

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“But, at the same time, when you look at the refereeing and some of the decisions he (Chris Kavanagh) made. I think this referee had main-character energy anyway.

“At the same time, when people (Joao Pedro) are kicking the ball away in the first half and you aren’t booking them, then you kind of do feel a little aggrieved by that.

“This is why I think people were so upset. That challenge, yes, (Rice’s first yellow card). It’s one of those challenges where he has made a genuine attempt to get the ball, but you get booked for that.

“But then here (second yellow). You look at Veltman and what he is doing there. Veltman is trying to get him booked. Veltman has nobody to pass the ball to.

“He knows exactly what he is doing. Those are the things VAR can look at. He knows what he is doing. He is trying to get him sent off.

“Declan Rice doesn’t have to kick the ball, but at the same time, Declan is playing the game, but so is Veltman. You can recognise what Declan is doing, but you aren’t supposed to recognise what Veltman is doing?!

“He’s not actually looking to pass that to anyone. He’s acting like he is going to do it, so if it hits Declan, then he gets booked and he is off.

“And that’s what happened – if we are going to be doing stuff like that with people kicking the ball away, then do that in the first half with Joao Pedro.

“The ball went out of play and he still blasted the ball away. Do that as well. I don’t care about an apologetic face (from the referee when he had to send Rice off) and that. Do it properly all the way. That’s why Arsenal fans have got the hump.”

Arsenal will be disappointed with their draw to high flying Brighton but will look to their North London derby clash with Tottenham after the International break.