Arsenal fans will have been frustrated after watching Diogo Dalot get away with the same offence Declan Rice was given a second yellow card for during Manchester United's defeat to Liverpool. The Red Devils were humbled on their own patch by their greatest rivals with Luis Diaz scoring twice before Mohamed Salah added a third.
During the second half, Liverpool were awarded a free kick when Dalot fouled his opponent before he delayed the restart by throwing the ball away. By the letter of the law, he should have received a yellow card but referee Anthony Taylor chose not to punish the offence.
It came just a day after Rice was shown a second yellow card for knocking the ball away from Brighton defender Joel Veltman, who was attempting to take a quick free kick. Chris Kavanagh was the man with the whistle and did not hesitate to give Rice his marching orders.
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The decision was hugely controversial despite being technically correct, with some viewers suggesting that Veltman should have been sent off for kicking Rice with his follow-through. It was also noted that the ball was still rolling, meaning it would not have been a legal free kick.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was furious at what he felt was a lack of consistency from the officials as he discussed Rice's sending-off. Earlier in the game, Brighton forward Joao Pedro went unpunished for booting the ball away when the Gunners were awarded a free kick of their own.
"I was amazed because of how inconsistent decisions can be," fumed Arteta. "In the first half, there are two incidents and nothing happens. Then, in a non-critical area, the ball hits Declan, he turns around, he doesn’t see the player coming and he touches the ball.
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"By law, he can make that call, but then by law he needs to make the next call, which is a red card so we play 10 against 10. This is what amazed me. At this level it’s amazing."
Rice was also left shocked by the decision but took responsibility for his actions and vowed to take a more sensible approach in future.
"I think you could see that on my face, but this is the laws of the game," he said. "If you touch the ball, even a little bit, it’s a red card after my challenge in the first half. It was tough and it was harsh but I have to move on from it."
