Chelsea legend John Terry writes three-word message on Declan Rice’s Instagram after controversial red

Arsenal star Declan Rice has got himself another surprise backer as the fallout to his controversial red card continues.

The England midfielder was sent off for two bookable offences in the Gunners’ 1-1 draw with Brighton.

The second, though, has caused a real kerfuffle with Rice cautioned for kicking the ball away from Joel Veltman.

This was deemed by referee Chris Kavanagh as delaying the restart having seen the Arsenal player give away a foul moments earlier.

Veltman swung his leg in an apparent move to take the free-kick but Rice nudged the ball, leading the Dutchman to strike him instead.

The midfielder was stunned to see the yellow card shown, with manager Mikel Arteta unhappy too.

“I was amazed,” said Arteta. “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 10vs10. This is what amazed me. At this level it’s amazing.”

Former Tottenham star Jamie O’Hara was another defending Rice.

And Chelsea legend John Terry agrees, which some might find a surprise too.

Rice posted on Instagram with the caption: “Disappointed. Didn’t feel it deserved a second yellow card but will learn and be better for it. Proud of the boys regardless & thank you for the amazing support Gunners”

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And in the replies, Terry said simply: “Worst decision ever.”

He followed that with an angry emoji to make his feelings fully known.

Speaking after the game, Rice, though, admitted the booking was correct, despite his initial surprise.

He said: “I was shocked. I think you could see in my face I was shocked. I’ve not sprinted back in front of him [Veltman] and smashed the ball away. I’ve touched the ball with the outside of my foot.

“Look, this is the law of the game. If you touch the ball away, even a little bit, obviously it’s a red card after my challenge in the first half, which I fully accept was a 50-50 that I didn’t win. But the second-half one, especially with it being in the corner flag, they (Brighton) can’t really progress anywhere from there.”

Rice added: “It was tough, it was harsh, but it’s one of those things. I have to move on from it. I will be better for it and I can only praise the players for digging deep for me and the manager (Arteta) for pushing everyone, and the fans as well, who were unbelievable again this afternoon. That’s how I see it.

“That’s my first sending-off in my career, so I just wanted to apologise to my teammates, which I’ve done, and to the fans.”

Rice’s red card means he will miss Arsenal’s first game back after the international break – a north London derby away from home against rivals Tottenham on September 15.

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