Arsenal missed the chance to go within three points of Premier League leaders Liverpool as Joao Pedro’s second-half penalty saw them held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion.
TV Info - Broadcasters
Just as he did in a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in August, Joao Pedro, who won the spot-kick after being caught by William Saliba, netted in the second half to deny the Gunners all three points at the Amex Stadium.
Teenager Ethan Nwaneri put Arsenal ahead in the 16th minute with a fine solo effort, racing down the right to bend a low finish into the far corner.
Brighton pushed for a late winner, but Arsenal dug in deep to at least ensure their unbeaten streak in the league stretched to 10 matches.
Arsenal sit five points behind Liverpool in second, who have two matches in hand.
Brighton, who are without a league win since 23 November, are in 10th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
19 | +28 | 46 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
20 | +21 | 40 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
19 | +7 | 37 |
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
20 | +15 | 36 |
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
20 | +12 | 35 |
How the match unfolded
The Gunners might have taken the lead 10 minutes in after Gabriel Jesus was played in one-v-one with Bart Verbruggen, but he smothered the Brazilian’s low shot.
Nwaneri took his chance six minutes later though, racing onto Mikel Merino’s dinked pass over the top before cutting into the box to fire his curling shot under Verbruggen.
Brighton responded well to going behind, with Simon Adingra curling wide, but the hosts struggled to test David Raya.
That changed around the hour mark, when Saliba caught Joao Pedro as he attempted a headed clearance. Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot, and Brighton’s forward duly sent Raya the wrong way.
Yankuba Minteh could have won it late on for Brighton after a driving run down the right, but his low shot flashed across the face of goal, with Kaoru Mitoma unable to get a decisive touch.
Another draw on the board
Brighton had been looking to end a run of three Premier League draws in a row, and after falling behind so early on, another draw may not seem a bad result.
The Seagulls are now without a win in eight matches though, and given the positions they got into against Arsenal, Fabian Hurzeler may feel they should have come away with three points.
Their profligacy was on show in the first half. Adingra looked a constant threat, though his end product was lacking, while at one stage, a Carlos Baleba attempt went out for an Arsenal throw-in.
The half-time introductions of Georginio Rutter and Minteh helped to make a difference, spurring Joao Pedro on after a quiet first half. He led the charge in the second half, causing problems with his pressure as well as getting the all-important equaliser after winning the penalty.
Brighton’s hopes of European football next season may look slim after their recent run, but Hurzeler will take heart from this performance and aim to get back to winning ways when they return to Premier League action against Ipswich Town on 16 January.
Absences tell for Arsenal
Many of the pre-match questions continued to focus on how Arsenal would continue to cope without the influential Bukayo Saka, but he was not the only absentee, as Kai Havertz, who has scored in each of his last four league appearances against Brighton, also not involved.
Eyebrows were raised further as Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli were left on the bench by Mikel Arteta, but Nwaneri, with England boss Thomas Tuchel watching on from the stands, repaid his manager’s faith, scoring his second Premier League goal with an excellent driving run and clean finish on what was just his second start in the competition.
Yet Arsenal were never quite in control despite long spells of possession, though Jesus did show a threat when the ball came to him in the box. While Brighton were able to get their centre-forward more involved as the game wore on, however, Jesus’ influence faded.
It was Arsenal’s defensive frailties that showed after that, with no recognised right-back in the squad due to Jurrien Timber’s suspension. Thomas Partey did not look particularly comfortable in the role, and Brighton tried to exploit that.
Uncharacteristic sloppiness crept in during the second half, with Saliba’s challenge for the penalty before slack defending allowed Minteh to ghost in behind and almost snatch – or set up – a winner. Arteta will be keen to stamp those errors out of their game, with rivals Tottenham Hotspur next up in the league after an EFL Cup meeting with Newcastle United and FA Cup tie against Manchester United.
Club reports
Brighton report | Arsenal report
What the managers said
Fabian Hurzeler: "I feel like I have to repeat myself all the time, which is a disappointing feeling. In the first half we weren’t as intense as we wanted to be. After the goal it was much better. The big word for us is consistency."
Mikel Arteta: "I’m disappointed because we wanted to win the game. We started the game with good actions and a good goal. We knew it was going to be a challenging game. We gave too many balls away in the second half and we’re very disappointed with the penalty."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Arsenal have failed to beat a side home and away (Brighton in 2024/25 – 2 draws) in a Premier League season despite going 1-0 up in both games for a ninth time, with Brighton being the only opponent this has happened against twice in the competition (also 2 draws against the Seagulls in 2018/19 having scored first in both games).
Despite coming from behind to earn a draw, Brighton remain winless in their last eight Premier League games (D6 L2), drawing four successive matches in the competition for the first time.
Since the start of last season, only Mohamed Salah and Cole Palmer (12 each) have scored more goals from the penalty spot among Premier League players in all competitions than Brighton’s Joao Pedro (11 – level with Erling Haaland).
Arsenal have failed to win four of their last nine Premier League games when leading at half time (W5 D4), having won 22 consecutive such matches prior to this run.
