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Joao Felix sends message to Mikel Arteta to prove there's no red card conspiracy against Arsenal

Joao Felix of Chelsea shoots, which is deflected into the net by Paul Farman of Barrow
-Credit: (Image: (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images))


Mikel Arteta has been outspoken about the red cards his players have received this season. Arsenal have already suffered two red cards, both for the same thing.

Declan Rice saw red for nudging the ball out of the way of Brighton's Joel Veltman as he tried to take a quick free-kick - a second yellow being shown his way. Leandro Trossard suffered the same fate against Manchester City, punting the ball long after the whistle had gone for the Belgian fouling Bernard Silva.

Both were silly red cards to receive and despite what Arteta may say about it, were given correctly down to the letter of the law.

Speaking after the game on Saturday, Arteta said: "It's that obvious that it's not necessary to comment on it. It's the second time. I'm expecting 100 Premier League games to be, 10 against 11 or nine vs 10 this season. Let's see."

Prior to that, he had said about Rice's red card: "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 red card so we play 10vs10. This is what amazed me. At this level it’s amazing."

Arsenal supporters may feel like the Premier League and the PGMOL are out to get them, that there's some sort of conspiracy against them and only them. But that is not the case.

READ MORE: Mikel Arteta issues PGMOL rallying cry as Arsenal overcome history at Manchester City

READ MORE: Mikel Arteta responds to Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard red cards with message to Arsenal players

If that needed to be proved it was done so by Joao Felix and Chelsea on Tuesday night. The Blues thumped League Two side Barrow in the Carabao Cup third round, but there was one notable incident.

Only two yellow cards were shown by referee Oliver Langford during the game, one to each side. Portuguese star Felix was the unlucky recipient for Chelsea and the caution? For kicking the ball away.

It may not have been a Premier League match, but Premier League officials have been told to clamp down on time-wasting and delaying matches this season, as shown by the two red cards for Arsenal players.

And with Felix receiving a yellow card for playing on after the whistle had gone in the Carabao Cup, we are set to see more and more cards being given out.