August 31st 2024.
Ian Wright was not pleased with the way some Arsenal fans behaved during the team's match against Brighton on Saturday. The game ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw, and Wright was particularly disappointed with a section of the Arsenal supporters. Despite the Gunners initially looking like they were going to secure their third consecutive win of the season, things took a turn when Kai Havertz scored for Brighton just seven minutes before half-time.
The match was evenly poised, but it all changed when Declan Rice was given a controversial red card for blocking a quick restart by nudging the ball away from Joel Veltman. This decision caused an uproar among the home crowd, who then started to turn on the referee, Chris Kavanagh. Later on, they even turned on their own team when Brighton equalized through Joao Pedro and the Gunners seemed to retreat and play more defensively.
Wright, however, believed that the point gained from this match was actually a good result for Arsenal, considering they had to play the entire second half with one less player. He shared his thoughts with Premier League Productions, saying, "With Arsenal fans, you could hear a bit of impatience in the stadium when it came to attacking. But at some point in the game, you have to realize that getting a point is the most important thing." He also pointed out the dangerous attacking players that Brighton brought on as substitutes, and praised his team for not giving up and managing to secure a draw.
Arsenal's manager, Mikel Arteta, was also shocked by the decision to send off Rice and felt that it was not a fair call. He was proud of his team's performance both before and after the sending off, saying, "I was amazed. In the first half, when the opponents did the same thing, they didn't even receive a booking. But then, in a non-critical area of the pitch, when the ball hit Declan's heel as he was turning around, the referee decided to make that call." Arteta also pointed out the lack of consistency in the referee's decisions and suggested that if the call was made, then a Brighton player should have also been sent off, resulting in a 10 vs 10 match.
Despite the controversy and the numerical disadvantage, Arsenal still managed to create two big chances and even had a one-on-one opportunity to win the game. Arteta was impressed with the team's reaction to going a man down and the support they received from the crowd. He concluded, "It was amazing to see the team's response and the reaction from the crowd. We had a great chance to win the game, and we should have taken it."
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