Rice escapes red card as Hincapie and Palmer withdraw from international duty

Declan Rice will face no further action after kicking out at Brighton midfielder Malick Yalcouye during Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, with former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher backing the on-field decision not to issue a red card.

Gallagher, assessing the incident, said the act fell short of the violent conduct threshold required for a dismissal. “I think it’s petulant. What you’ve got to remember is that it’s got to be deemed violent conduct,” he said. “Is that brutal or malicious? I think not. He runs a risk, there’s no doubt about that. For me, that’s not an act of violence. It’s a very unwise thing to do, but the referee got it right.” Pundit Alan Shearer had reached the same conclusion earlier in the weekend.

The defeat — Arsenal’s first of the season — was sealed by goals from Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andres, leaving Mikel Arteta’s side with three weeks to regroup before Leeds United visit the Emirates Stadium on October 10.

The international break will not involve the full Arsenal squad. Piero Hincapie has been left out of the Ecuador squad, with reports from South America citing “injuries and physical issues” for his absence alongside Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo and Club Brugge’s Joel Ordonez. The defender has not featured for Arsenal since the Champions League fixture against Napoli on September 9, appearing only as an unused substitute at Brighton.

Ecuador’s upcoming schedule includes three matches during the break, beginning with a fixture against South Korea on September 24 — the first opportunity for players to impress new head coach Marcelo Gallardo, who took charge following Sebastian Beccacece’s departure after the World Cup.

Rice himself will also sit out the international window, with reports indicating the decision is based on load management. The England midfielder is among five players to withdraw from Thomas Tuchel’s squad, with Chelsea forward Cole Palmer also stepping back from international duty.