Pitchside microphone picks up Danny Welbeck's unseen role in Declan Rice's red card
New images have shown the role Danny Welbeck played in Declan Rice's controversial red card at the weekend.
The Brighton star, who played for Arsenal For five years, between 2014 and 2019, he was not far from the drama when Rice saw red.
Having been booked for a late challenge in the first half, the Gunners star appeared to kick the ball away before Joel Veltman curled in a free-kick.
The Seagulls defender gestured to take a quick free-kick after Rice conceded a foul, but the Arsenal player then deflected the ball into the Dutchman's path.
Veltman continued forward and made contact with Rice, sending the midfielder to the ground in pain.
Among a crowd of players surrounding the referee, a clip posted by Brighton on their TikTok channel showed Welbeck providing his advice.
“Hey, it's a second yellow card,” he was heard saying, although not directly to referee Chris Kavanagh.
Kavanagh then showed Rice a red card, much to the frustration of the English midfielder.
The 25-year-old remained in disbelief and protested his innocence for several minutes as boos echoed around the Emirates Stadium.
Many Arsenal players initially thought the punishment would fall on Veltman.
To clarify the confusing incident, the Premier League Match Centre shared an explanation on its X account.
The message read: “The referee showed a second yellow card to Declan Rice for delaying the restart.”
3
3
One fan pointed out on the Brighton post that Welbeck should have been booked for calling for Rice to be booked, prompting the Seagulls manager to cheekily reply: “I was speaking to Joel Veltman,” with a halo emoji.
However, the competition in North London was not without controversy. Mikel Arteta and Bukayo Saka was furious when João Pedro escaped punishment for kicking the ball out.
Commenting on the Welbeck clip, one Arsenal fan replied: “But Pedro's doesn't count?”, to which the Brighton manager replied: “We think he was trying to keep the ball in play,” with another halo emoji.
The incidents were the main talking points as Arsenal drew 1-1 with Brighton.
Kai Havertz's opener was cancelled out by Joao Pedro's equaliser, leading to Arsenal dropping points for the first time this season.
