As Izan slowly walked off the pitch, his shoulders slumped in disbelief, the Arsenal fans in the away end had turned the volume up, though their shouts were now filled with confusion and frustration.
"Unbelievable!" one fan shouted, his voice filled with anger. "What's next? Are we going to get a red card for smiling too?"
Rice clapped Izan on the back as he walked past him.
Izan still couldn't believe what had just happened, shaking his head in disbelief as he disappeared down the tunnel.
Arteta, pacing furiously on the touchline, looked as if he might explode at any moment.
"This is a disgrace," he muttered, glancing at his coaching staff. "This is beyond a joke. We can't afford to lose players over something as ridiculous as this."
Carlos Cuesta, ever the calm presence, stepped forward and put a hand on Arteta's arm.
"Mikel, we need to keep calm. We can't afford to get into trouble here."
