Declan Rice apologized to his teammates for his contentious sending off during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Brighton on Saturday.

Referee Chris Kavanagh promptly showed the Gunners’ midfielder a second yellow card early in the second half for allegedly preventing Brighton’s Joel Veltman from taking a quick free kick.

Rice had already been booked for a strong attack on Veltman in the first half of the game at the Emirates, and the second yellow resulted in the England international’s first red card of his career.

In a post-match interview, a contrite Rice reflected on his conduct, initially apologizing to his teammates before admitting responsibility.

The player apologized to his teammates and fans after receiving his first career red card.

 

Declan Rice (middle right) was sent-off after a receiving a second yellow for a allegedly stopping Brighton’s Joel Veltman from taking a quick-free quick in the 1-1 draw at the Emirates

Rice confessed the dismissal was ‘a shock’ but accepted full responsibility for his actions.

‘Getting sent off is never fun; you feel guilty about yourself, and I was fortunate tonight that my teammates stepped up and kept us from losing the game. I will learn from it.

Despite his apologies, Rice said that he was astonished to be sent off for an infringement that he considered trivial.

‘Yeah, I was astonished, as you could tell by the look on my face,’ Rice admitted. ‘He’s definitely gone over, but I haven’t run over and blasted the ball away; instead, I’ve touched the ball with my outside foot.

‘But see, these are the rules of the game. If you touch the ball away, even slightly, you will receive a red card following my challenge in the first half, which I fully agree was a 50-50 that I did not win.

‘But the second half one, especially since it’s in the corner flag, they can’t really move on from there. It was terrible and unpleasant, but it’s one of those things.

‘I have to move on from it; I will be better for it, and I can only thank the players for digging deep for me, the manager for pushing everyone, and the supporters, who were incredible again this afternoon. That is how I see it.

Rice has received a one-match suspension for the red card, which coincides with the season’s first North London Derby.

The Gunners will make the short trip to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, September 15, immediately after the international break.

 

The red card represented the England international’s first sending-off in his career