The Gunners will be without their midfield linchpin for the North London derby this weekend.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was right to have seen red in the Premier League meeting with Brighton last month, the Key Match Incidents panel has ruled after Mikel Arteta poured scorn on the decision.
The England international was already on a booking when he flicked the ball away from Seagulls man Joel Veltman, who was about to take a free-kick. The incident in the 49th minute brought about a second yellow card for Rice, who will now serve a one match ban and miss this weekend's trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
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That was the first red card that the player, who cost Arsenal £100 million just over a year ago, had ever received by the panel agreed that his actions were 'clear, deliberate and impactful'. The Key Match Incidents group unanimously backed the decision and wrote: "Rice knows what he's doing - it's a gentle touch, but once the referee sees it he has no choice."
The independent panel is made up of three former players or coaches, one Premier League representative and one person from the Professional Game Match Officials Board, the referees' body. The decision comes after Mikel Arteta said he was 'amazed' at the decision reached by Chris Kavanagh.
After the match, the Spaniard said: "I was amazed. Amazed, amazed, amazed because of how inconsistent decisions can be. In the first half, there are two incidents and nothing happens.
"Then, in a non-critical area, the ball hits Declan [on the back of his leg], he turns around, he doesn't see the player coming and he touches the ball. By law, he can make that call, but then by law he needs to make the next call, which is a red card so we play 10 vs 10. This is what amazed me. At this level it's amazing."
Arteta will have to make do without Rice this weekend as he takes on Ange Postecoglou. That blow is worsened by news this week of an injury to captain Martin Odegaard, as well as summer signing Riccardo Calafiori.