The England international, who was already on a yellow card for a first-half foul, was sent off by referee Chris Kavanagh for allegedly delaying a free-kick that Brighton’s Joel Veltman was trying to take deep inside their own half.

Rice’s dismissal sparked controversy among pundits and Arsenal fans, many of whom believed the decision was harsh. They argued that the ball was still moving when Rice made minimal contact, and the context of the match didn’t warrant such a decision.

Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, expressed frustration but refrained from directly disputing the referee’s call. However, he did urge Kavanagh to show consistency, noting that Brighton’s goalscorer, Joao Pedro, was not penalized for a similar act of kicking the ball away earlier in the match.

After the game, Rice shared his perspective: “I think you could see in my face that I was shocked. The referee made his decision… I didn’t sprint back in front of him or smash the ball away. I just touched the ball with the outside of my foot.

According to the laws of the game, even a slight touch can result in a red card, especially given my first-half challenge, which I accept was a 50-50 that I lost.”

Rice continued, reflecting on the incident: “But the second one, especially considering it was near the corner flag where they couldn’t really advance from, felt tough and harsh. It’s one of those things.

I need to move on, learn from it, and become better for it. I must also commend the players for their effort, the manager for motivating everyone, and the fans who were, once again, incredible this afternoon. That’s my take on it.”

The situation becomes even more challenging for Arsenal as Rice is now suspended from their next match, a crucial fixture against local rivals Tottenham after the international break. Adding to their woes, new signing Mikel Merino is also sidelined due to injury, leaving Arteta with a significant void in the midfield.

Despite the setback, Rice remained positive, stating, “We’ll keep pushing forward. I know it’s tough, not just for me but for everyone. We have a challenging run of games after the international break, but we’ll be ready.”

Analyzing the incident further, he said: “This was my first red card in my career, so I just want to apologize to my teammates, which I’ve already done, and to the fans.

It’s never easy getting sent off—you feel a sense of guilt. Thankfully, my teammates stepped up, and we didn’t lose the game. I’ll learn from it and really appreciate the fans’ continued support. It’s not in my nature to get red cards, so I’ll figure out how I can improve.”

Rice concluded with optimism: “I’ll definitely be back. I believe in this group of players, myself included, and I know we are all striving towards the same goal—to be successful.”