Fabian Huerzeler said referee Chris Kavanagh was right to send off Declan Rice at the Emirates.

And he has dismissed Arsenal complaints over refereeing inconsistency.

Rice received a second yellow card for touching the ball away from Joel Veltman at an Albion free-kick.

The decision changed the game as the Seagulls came from behind to force a 1-1 draw.

It sparked outrage around the Emirates.

Arsenal arguments centred around their complaints that Albion goalscorer Joao Pedro had kicked the ball away in the first half and not been carded.

Albion boss Huerzeler said: “It’s a clear red card. He shoots the ball away. It’s wasting time. There aren’t two opinions.”

Asked whether he therefore felt Joao Pedro should have been booked, Huerzeler replied: “You can’t compare these two situations. The first with Joel is clear. It’s a free-kick so it’s a static situation.

“The other is much more like a dynamic action. It was not even clearly out and he tried to keep the ball in.

“Please don’t ever compare these two situations.

“In football, two situations are not the same. We can’t compare these two situations.”

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he was “amazed, amazed, amazed” by the dismissal of Rice, who will miss the North London derby through suspension, and accused ref Kavanagh of a lack of inconsistency.

Arteta said: “In the first half, there were two incidents and nothing happened.”