Gary Lineker shares his honest verdict on Declan Rice’s red card for Arsenal

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Heading into the international break, Arsenal’s perfect start to the season has now been tarnished at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side started the game extremely well, Bukayo Saka was causing nightmares for Jack Hinshelwood on Brighton’s left.

And eventually that pressure paid off when Saka slipped in Kai Havertz to give Arsenal the lead.

From that point, it seemed as if Arsenal were heading for another clean sheet and a comfortable win, that was until Declan Rice was controversially sent off.

Waking up on Sunday, Arsenal supporters will still be trying to wrap their heads around the decision, one that lacked consistency according to Saka when speaking after the game.

Rice has since taken the decision well, protesting that he’ll learn from the moment and move on swiftly.

However, in a title-race of such fine margins, it could already prove a damaging blow for the Gunners.

Gary Lineker thinks football has ‘lost its mind’ after Declan Rice red card

Speaking on Match of the Day after the 1-1 draw at the Emirates, Gary Lineker was baffled by the decision, one he thought was a microcosm of poor decision-making in football today.

Responding to Danny Murphy’s verdict, Lineker was not at all impressed.

READ MORE: Bukayo Saka shares exactly what he thinks about Arsenal signing Raheem Sterling after Brighton draw

Murphy initially said: “Initially I thought that he’s just lashed out [Veltman] and kicked Declan Rice, and when you see it, he’s making out that he’s kicked him because he’s trying to clear the ball – I don’t quite believe that.”

He continued: “The letter of the law it’s a second booking, he’s kicked it out of play, he’s given the referee no choice and the referee makes the decision.”

Lineker then interjected: “I think this is another classic example where football has lost its mind, for people getting a red card for flicking a ball about 12 inches – second yellow, which still means he goes off.”

Declan Rice will be suspended for North London derby with Tottenham

Not only did Arsenal lose Rice and a man against Brighton on Saturday, but the England midfielder will now miss the North London derby immediately after the international break.

Mikel Merino’s injury means Rice’s absence could cause a real issue for Arteta when travelling to Spurs.

Perhaps the Arsenal manager could play Jorginho and Thomas Partey in a double-pivot, but it’s certainly not ideal.

Havertz could drop into a number eight role, but there’s then no guarantee that Gabriel Jesus will be fit to play as Arteta’s number nine.

A problem to ponder, and certainly not one that the Arsenal boss would have anticipated.

That being said, Ian Wright was unimpressed with a different Arsenal player on Saturday.