The Gunners midfielder was lucky not to have walked.
Declan Rice
Declan Rice went out of his way to leave one on Malick Yalcouye (Image: Sky Sports)
Declan Rice escaped what looked to be a nailed-on red card in the final moments of Arsenal's Saturday afternoon defeat to Brighton. The Gunners suffered their first defeat of the season against the south coast outfit and were made to look ordinary during the 3-0 loss.
It started in the first half, when Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas netted almost identical long-range efforts to give Brighton a 2-0 lead at the break. Arsenal fans would've no doubt been expecting a reaction, but it was in fact the hosts who pressed home their advantage, with Chema Andres heading in a third midway through the second half.
But it was the final action of the match that caused the most controversy, with Rice appearing to kick out at Brighton's Malick Yalcouye during an off-the-ball incident. The pair had been involved in a harmelss tussle, but as Yalcouye was passing Rice, the English midfielder deliberately went out of his way to kick the Brighton star.