Declan Rice avoided a red card after VAR reviewed a late off-the-ball incident during Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Arsenal midfielder was booked in stoppage time after reacting to pressure from Malick Yalcouyé and catching the Brighton substitute around the legs.
Referee Darren England immediately showed Rice a yellow card before VAR checked whether the incident warranted an upgrade for violent conduct.
The original decision was allowed to stand.
The flashpoint provided one final talking point from an afternoon Arsenal will otherwise want to forget.
As detailed in our Brighton 3-0 Arsenal match report, goals from Pascal Groß, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andrés ended Mikel Arteta’s perfect Premier League start.
Declan Rice avoids red card after VAR review
Rice had already released the ball when Yalcouyé continued his pressure during the closing stages.
The Arsenal midfielder then reacted and made contact with the Brighton player’s legs.
TalkSPORT reported that VAR reviewed the incident but determined that Rice’s actions did not cross the threshold for violent conduct.
That left England’s yellow-card decision unchanged.
The call nevertheless divided opinion.
Several pundits felt Rice was fortunate to remain on the pitch, with the incident immediately generating debate over where the line should be drawn between a petulant reaction and violent conduct.
The controversy ultimately had no impact on the result.
Brighton were already three goals ahead and had comprehensively outplayed Arsenal before Rice’s late booking.
Rice milestone overshadowed by Arsenal defeat
The incident came on a landmark afternoon for Rice.
According to Opta figures reported by GOAL, the Brighton game marked his 300th Premier League start.
At 27 years and 249 days, Rice became the third-youngest player in Premier League history to reach that total.
Only Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard achieved 300 starts at a younger age.
That milestone was overshadowed by Arsenal’s heaviest defeat of the season.
Arteta later admitted his side failed to win enough duels and second balls as Brighton repeatedly disrupted Arsenal’s build-up.
The manager’s wider concerns were also evident in our analysis of the developing Rice and Bruno Guimarães midfield partnership.
Rice can now join up with England without serving a domestic suspension.
Arsenal have an extended international-break period before returning to Premier League action against Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday 10 October.
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