“Ref should’ve borrowed Leo’s glasses” - Ex-Arsenal star slams Declan Rice red card decision against Brighton with cheeky comment on Instagram
Former Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson has slammed referee Chris Kavanagh's decision to give Declan Rice a red card in the Gunners' Premier League clash against Brighton & Hove Albion with a cheeky post on Instagram. The match at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, August 31, ended in a 1-1 draw.
Arsenal opened their scoring with Kai Havertz's goal from an assist by Bukayo Saka in the 38th minute. Declan Rice received his first yellow card after committing a foul on Brighton's Joël Veltman in the 42nd minute.
The English midfielder received his second booking in the 49th minute and had to leave the pitch for another apparent foul. Rice kicked the ball away from Veltman while the Dutchman tried to take a quick free kick. The Seagulls netted their equalizer with João Pedro's goal in the 58th minute.
Carl Jenkinson, who was present at the Emirates for the clash against Brighton, took a dig at the decision to send Declan Rice off saying that the referee should have borrowed Leandro Trossard's glasses. The former Gunners' defender was making a reference to Trossard's iconic celebration, in which he puts his hands up to his eyes to form glasses after scoring.
Carl Jenkinson shared pictures from the match on Instagram, with the caption:
"Always an honour to be invited back to the Arsenal 🔴⚪️ Thanks to @noddy6950 for looking after us!! Ref should’ve borrowed Leo’s glasses."
After the draw against Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal are currently fourth on the Premier League table with seven points in three matches.
Mikel Arteta on referee's decision for Declan Rice's red card in Arsenal's clash against Brighton
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta shared his opinion on Declan Rice's red card in the clash against Brighton. Claiming that he was left "amazed" by the referee's call, the Spanish manager said (via BBC Sport):
"I was amazed. Amazed, amazed, amazed because of how inconsistent decisions can be. In the first half, there are two incidents and nothing happens. Then, in a non-critical area, the ball hits Declan [on the back of his leg], he turns around, he doesn't see the player coming and he touches the ball."
"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 10vs10. This is what amazed me. At this level it's amazing."
The Gunners are set to face Tottenham Hotspur in their next Premier League clash after the international break on September 15 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.