According to the Metro, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice told referee Robert Jones ‘every week it’s the same’ at the end of the match against Bournemouth.
The Gunners suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth, which was Mikel Arteta’s first defeat of the season not only in the Premier League but in all competitions this season.
Arsenal defender William Saliba was sent off in the first half and the Gunners had to play with 10 men for more than an hour.
It was Arsenal’s third red card of the season after Declan Rice was sent off earlier in the season against Brighton and Leandro Trossard received a controversial red card against Manchester City.
All three red cards that the Gunners have received this season have created discussion and debate among the fans and Arsenal fans, as well as players, feel they have been on the wrong end of these decisions by the referees.
Rice was spotted saying to the referee ‘every week it’s the same’, showing how the players feel that Saliba did not deserve to get a red card, as well as Rice himself and Trossard in the previous matches.
However, after the match, Rice admitted that his teammates have made mistakes and their sending off incidents are making life difficult for them.
‘We’ve kicked ourselves in the foot three times in eight games and we got away with it at home to Brighton and away at Manchester City. Bournemouth kept probing and made it 2-0,’ Rice said.
‘I’m proud of the players for fighting, even with 10 men, but the naivety, we need to stop making mistakes because you want 11 players for 90 minutes and that’s what wins you football matches.’
Former Arsenal attacker and football pundit Theo Walcott pointed out a mistake that the Gunners made against Bournemouth and called it more costly than Saliba’s red card.
Is Declan Rice right in protesting Saliba’s red card against Bournemouth?
Saliba pulled down the Bournemouth attacker as the last man and the Gunners cannot have any complains about that sending off.
They might have a case in the previous red cards of Rice and Trossard but this one was an easy decision to make for the referee.
Three red cards in eight Premier League matches should be a huge cause of concern for Arteta and his management team.
In the three matches they have had players sent off, they have only managed to win two points out of a possible nine. In order to compete against Man City in the league, they cannot make such mistakes.
Football pundit Jamie Carragher fueled conspiracy regarding Saliba’s red card against Bournemouth involving referee Howard Webb.