Arsenal seemed to be in control at the Emirates Stadium, heading into the halftime break with a 1-0 lead, thanks to a goal from Kai Havertz.
Throughout the first half, Brighton struggled to create any significant opportunities, recording just 0.08 expected goals (xG) and failing to muster a single shot on target.
However, the dynamic of the match changed dramatically just four minutes into the second half.
Arsenal’s Declan Rice received his second yellow card for time-wasting after kicking the ball away, which prevented Brighton’s Joel Veltman from taking a quick free-kick.
This decision drastically altered the course of the game, as Rice’s dismissal left Arsenal with ten men on the pitch, giving Brighton a numerical advantage.
With Arsenal down to ten players, Brighton began to assert themselves more forcefully in the match.
They quickly capitalized on their advantage by finding an equalizer and continued to pressure Arsenal throughout the remainder of the game.
Brighton created several more opportunities to snatch a victory, but despite their efforts, they were unable to secure all three points.
After the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his frustration in an interview with BBC Match of the Day.
Arteta believed that his team had performed well enough to secure a victory, both when the match was evenly contested at 11 versus 11 and even after Arsenal was reduced to ten men.
“Overall, when we played 11 v 11, we deserved to win the game, and even at 11 v 10, we deserved to win the game.
We lost two points,” Arteta stated, emphasizing his disappointment at the missed opportunity to secure a win.
Arteta also raised concerns about the consistency of refereeing decisions, particularly regarding Rice’s second yellow card.
While he acknowledged that the booking technically followed the rules, he argued that the decision was harsh given the circumstances.
Arteta pointed out that the ball was still in motion when Veltman attempted to take the free-kick, making the yellow card seem unjust.
Additionally, many Arsenal supporters observed that Brighton’s Joao Pedro had escaped a booking earlier in the match for a similar offense, if not a more blatant one.
To make matters worse for Arsenal, it was Pedro who scored Brighton’s equalizer less than ten minutes after Rice was sent off, adding to the frustration.
When questioned further about Rice’s dismissal, Arteta did not hold back his disappointment.
“I was amazed,” he remarked. “In the first half, when the opponents did that, they didn’t get any booking.
He makes the call by law in a non-critical area of the pitch when the ball hit the heel when turning around, to make that decision.
By law, he can do it but be consistent. If that is the case, they should have had a man sent off, and then it would be 10 v 10.”
Arteta’s comments reflect his broader concern with what he perceives as inconsistent refereeing, which he feels contributed to the outcome of the match.
He stressed the need for referees to apply the rules uniformly, suggesting that had they done so, Brighton might have also been reduced to ten men, which could have leveled the playing field for Arsenal.
Despite the setback of losing Rice, Arteta praised both his players and the fans for their response to the adversity.
He highlighted that even with ten men, Arsenal managed to create two clear chances to win the game, opportunities that, in his view, they should have capitalized on.
Arteta’s remarks underscore his belief that Arsenal had the ability and the performance to take all three points, but were ultimately let down by circumstances beyond their control.
In the end, the match ended in a draw, leaving Arsenal to reflect on what might have been had they not been reduced to ten men so early in the second half.
The result was a disappointment for the Gunners, who had looked set to claim a victory before Rice’s sending-off altered the course of the game.
As they move forward, Arsenal will be looking to build on the positives from this performance while addressing the challenges that arose during the match, particularly in terms of discipline and capitalizing on scoring opportunities.