🚨⚽The Red card was not the source of my grief…But those THREE THINGS: Mikel Arteta explains the THREE THINGS the referee did that made him cry against Brighton.

Arsenal seemed to have the upper hand at the Emirates Stadium, heading into halftime with a 1-0 lead thanks to Kai Havertz’s goal. Meanwhile, Brighton struggled to make an impact, managing only 0.08 expected goals (xG) and not registering a single shot on target in the first half.

The game took a significant turn just four minutes into the second half when Declan Rice received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away, thereby preventing Brighton’s Joel Veltman from taking a quick free-kick. With Arsenal reduced to ten men, Brighton began to dominate, quickly finding an equalizer. They created several more opportunities to score but ultimately failed to secure all three points.

Following the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his frustration in an interview with BBC Match of the Day. He felt that Arsenal had done enough to win both with a full squad and even after being reduced to ten men. “Overall, when we played 11 v 11, we deserved to win the game, and even at 11 v 10, we deserved to win the game. We lost two points,” Arteta stated.

Arteta also criticized the inconsistency in refereeing decisions, noting that while Rice’s booking was in line with the rules, it seemed harsh given the context. The ball was still moving when Veltman tried to take the free-kick, and some Arsenal fans pointed out that Brighton’s Joao Pedro had not been booked for a similar action earlier in the game. Ironically, Pedro scored Brighton’s equalizer shortly after Rice’s dismissal.

When asked about Rice’s red card, Arteta expressed his disappointment, stating, “I was amazed. In the first half, when the opponents did that, they didn’t get any booking.” He emphasized that if the refereeing had been consistent, Brighton should also have been reduced to ten men.

Despite being a man down, Arteta praised his players and the supporters for their reaction, highlighting that Arsenal still managed to create two clear chances to secure the win, which he believed they should have converted.