'You could see': Joe Hart shares what he noticed just before Declan Rice was sent off in 1-1 Arsenal draw

Chris Kavanagh enraged Arsenal fans on Saturday after controversially deciding to send Declan Rice off in the 1-1 draw against Brighton.

The England international will miss Arsenal‘s Premier League clash against Tottenham after the international break as a result of his second yellow card, which came when the £105m man nudged the ball away before Joel Veltman could take his free-kick.

So, what did Joe Hart spot before Declan Rice was dismissed by Chris Kavanagh? Let’s take a look…

What Joe Hart saw before Declan Rice dismissal

Speaking on BBC Match of the Day, the 37-year-old said he agreed with the decision to send the Arsenal No.41 off, but suggested on the basis of Kavanagh’s body language that the man from Manchester did not want to make the call

Hart said: “He deserved it (the second yellow card) technically, but you could see when Chris Kavanagh was giving him the yellow card, he knew technically he needed to give that, in the back of his mind, you could see, I don’t want to give this yellow, but rules are rules.”

In our view, it was not worthy of a second yellow, even though the likes of Richard Keys believe that the 38-year-old made the correct decision to send Rice off.

Veltman actually kicks the ball at the 25-year-old’s foot as he gets up, so the Brighton No.34 had no intention of taking a quick freekick, and arguably could have been sent off himself given the wild nature of his swipe at the man from Kingston upon Thames.

Mikel Arteta and Arsenal fans will be furious

Not only does Rice now miss a crucial north London derby, but his absence for 41 minutes of Saturday’s clash against Brighton also saw Arsenal drop two points, which could prove to be crucial in May.

As the Gunners found out last season, even a brief slip up in the first half of the campaign can prove costly up against this juggernaut of a Manchester City side, who ensured Arsenal still missed out on a Premier League title last term despite the north Londoners winning 16 of 18 Premier League outings to end the 2023/24 season.

Hopefully, Arsenal get a little bit of luck to even things out later on in the campaign, after Rice was bizarrely dismissed by Kavanagh.