Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted he was “hacked off” following the Gunners’ 1–1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion last season, a match overshadowed by Declan Rice’s controversial red card. However, the Spaniard has also highlighted Arsenal’s significantly better disciplinary record this campaign.
Rice was sent off during the August clash at the Emirates Stadium after receiving a second yellow card for knocking the ball away as Joël Veltman attempted to take a free-kick. That incident set the tone for a frustrating Premier League season in which Arsenal accumulated six red cards — at least three more than any other team.
Disciplinary issues continued the following month when former Brighton winger Leandro Trossard was dismissed against Manchester City for kicking the ball into the crowd. These incidents came during a period when match officials were enforcing stricter rules on time-wasting at restarts, a stance that appeared to ease as the season progressed.
Despite last season’s frustrations, Arteta believes his side has learned valuable lessons and shown clear improvement in their on-field discipline this term.
Declan Rice was sent off against Brighton last August.
Ahead of Brighton’s visit to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, Mikel Arteta reflected on last season’s incident, saying he clearly remembers how frustrated he felt. The Arsenal manager admitted he was “very hacked off” by the way his team performed after being reduced to 10 men and expressed hope that this time the outcome will be very different.
Arteta also suggested that changes to the rules have helped, noting that Arsenal paid a heavy price under previous interpretations. He added that he hopes those issues are now behind them so the team can continue matches with all 11 players on the pitch.
Arsenal currently sit top of the Premier League Fair Play table, having collected just 22 yellow cards and no red cards in 17 matches. Reacting to the statistic, Arteta said he was unaware of it but welcomed the news, calling it “very good.”
The Arsenal boss also hinted at a possible return for Kai Havertz, though he stopped short of confirming whether the Germany international will feature in the squad. Havertz has been sidelined with a knee injury since the opening weekend but was seen back in training earlier this week. Arteta revealed that his comeback is likely a matter of days rather than weeks, pending his response in the final stages of recovery.
Arteta подчеркнул that Havertz has been sorely missed, praising the forward’s ability to add a different dimension to the team, and said he is delighted the midfielder could be back soon.
