Declan Rice kicked out at Brighton's Malick Yalcouye during Arsenal's 3-0 loss away on Saturday, and he was shown a yellow card by on-field referee Darren England
Declan Rice foul
Declan Rice was booked for his challenge(Image: BBC Sport)
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Alan Shearer believes that VAR was right not to intervene as Declan Rice avoided a red card against Brighton. Arsenal star Rice kicked out at Malick Yalcouye in stoppage time during the Gunners' stunning 3-0 defeat at the Amex Stadium.
Rice was driving with the ball in the sixth minute of additional time when the Brighton midfielder gave him a nudge. The 27-year-old responded by kicking Yalcouye, who went tumbling to the ground.
On-field referee Darren England blew his whistle for a foul, as the crowd chanted 'off, off, off'. But England decided to give Rice a yellow card rather than send him off.
Video assistant referee Tim Wood is understood to have looked at the incident but didn't recommend an on-field review. That sparked a debate over whether Rice was fortunate but Shearer reckons that the officials were correct.
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On Match of the Day, Shearer concluded: "This was frustration from Declan Rice. Yalcouye gives him a little nudge there and I do think the referee gets that right.
"He gives him the yellow card, I don't think it was too aggressive; he didn't lash out at him. Therefore, I think the referee got that right, but it sort of summed Arsenal's day up."
Rice is now set be available when Arsenal host Leeds on October 10 following the international break. The Gunners will find themselves second in the table by then if Manchester City draw or win at home to Sunderland on Sunday.
"They've been beaten, they've been well beaten. It could have been six or seven," Shearer went on to say. "I would say there's no panic because after five games last season, Arsenal had 10 points. After five games this season, they've got 12 points. But that performance can't happen too many times, if again."
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 19: Declan Rice of Arsenal appears looks on during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal FC at American Express Stadium on September 19, 2026 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the season(Image: Clive Rose/Getty Images)
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Mikel Arteta couldn't hide his disappointment and described the loss as a 'big lesson'. "First I think we have to congratulate Brighton for the victory. I think they deserve it, I think they were the better team," the Arsenal boss began in his post-match press conference.
"From our side, there were certain basics you need to accomplish in football, especially in the Premier League that we were very far from. Winning the first duel, the second ball, that put to the game, especially how direct they were in a really difficult place for us.
"On top of that, especially in our own half, we didn't respect any of the principles of play to get out of that man-to-man situation. That puts us on the back foot, so it was very difficult to control the game.
"When we had moments of dominance and control, we did open them up, but we didn’t finish those actions with the quality that is required to compensate for the things we did wrong. So overall, they deserved to win the game, and it’s a big lesson for us."