Arsenal’s Premier League title ambitions suffered a bump in the road as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Mikel Arteta’s side, who were missing Kai Havertz and also had Captain Martin Odegaard limit himself to a second-half replacement appearance due to illness, were grateful for a smart run and the end of teenager Ethan Nwaneri.
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But halfway in the middle of the moment, William Saliba put in trial for dirtying Joao Pedro after making contact with Brighton ahead with a header in the area, with the house of Brazilian shots the draw of the prison.
A draw leaves the leaders of the Arsenal Five Toss Liverpool League, who will receive Manchester United on Sunday, after playing two more games.
Jordan Campbell and Aantaajith Raghuraman break down the main speech problems at the Amex stadium.
Referee Anthony Taylor made us think, then some other thoughts, before pointing to the square. If it took a little longer than usual, it was probably because it was an incident in a full penalty area.
The ball ricocheted its way into the box and, as it arrived at the feet of Joao Pedro, he flicked the ball up into the air, which invited Saliba to challenge for the ball.
The Brazilian striker narrowly beat him and put the ball in front of him with his head. Saliba withdrew the challenge and made contact, which saw Joao Pedro dive into the cinemas on the floor and claim a fault.
That Saliba remained on his feet and the arsenal players around the ball played without much reaction added to the feeling that anything inoffine than harmful had happened when he looked live.
Replays showed Saliba had indeed caught the Brighton man, but it is a rarity to see a penalty given for a clash of heads, even though it is fundamentally one player being late and impeding the other, just as a trip is a foul when the ball is on the floor.
There was a similar incident the previous day when Anthony Gordon, from Newcastle, internally recovered Kuluski from Tottenham, whose shoulder hit his nose and made blood. There has been touches, but not enough to constitute a penalty.
Var maintained the resolution at the point despite the demonstrations of Arsenal players, who will feel equally injured in the way they did it in the house in opposition to Brighton in August when Declan Rice showed a moment on the yellow card for having operated the ball two meters with a loose blow.
Perhaps they are both examples of unusual incidents in which VAR leaves it to the on-field referee’s judgement up close to the action, as there are certainly few precedents to compare it with.
The referee’s penalty requires a Saliba failure in João Pedro reviewed and was shown through VAR, who thought that there was enough touch for a penalty.
— Premier League Fit Middle (@plitcentre) January 4, 2025
Jordan Campbell
With Odegaard in the bank and 3 beginner midfielders less known for their creativity, much of the OINUS to create opportunities fell to Nwaneri. But Brighton did well in blocking Arsenal’s progress in the first half, strongly marking Jorginho and forcing visitors to advance the appearance or back.
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In a disjointed part in which neither party has created many transparent cuts, it was probably a moment of precision and determination and the Arsenal delivered it in the 16th minute.
The rotations of his trio of midfielders without ball caused confusion for the Brighton and that Declan Rice was heading to a giant position on the right, with Nwaneri and Mikel Merino inside, Pervis Estupiñán and Igor Julio were dragged out of position.
A smart exchange by Merino and Rice allowed the latter to release Nwaneri into acres of space, with the teenager cutting onto his left and scoring past Bart Verbruggen into the far corner — a finish we have seen many times from Bukayo Saka, the man whose boots he was filling.
It placed Nwaneri in illustrious company as just the sixth player to score multiple Premier League goals before turning 18 after Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Danny Cadamarteri, James Milner and Federico Macheda.
Nwaneri largely marked by the game after that and Brighton treated his sexual deliveries well. He reserved in the first part for the time to spend time in front of a corner and also played 78 minutes in his 3-1 victory over Brentford. New Year’s Day, Gabriel Martinelli replaced him part -time.
It is the first game of the Premier League since Hvertz joined last summer that neither the captain of Germany nor the Odeegaard arsenal were in the initial alignment.
Presentations have been presented when they have, however, the German lost the team, while Odegaard only had sufficient compatibility to be in the bank after the couple suffered a disease this week.
With Saka on an extended period, he introduced Arteta with some other variety of variety, however, moving Nwaneri to midfield as a similar replacement for Odegaard, continued with the 17-year-old on the wing.
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This meant an addition of more functional box environments with Jorginho, Mikel Merino and Declan Rice in combination in the middle of the box. Given that Thomas Parte started on the right and that Riccardo Calafiori was on the left in front of Myles Lewis-Skelly, it was a conservative education on paper.
Arsenal objective The product of some giant rotations between Rice, Merino and Nwaneri on the right flank, however, is an exception to what heavy exhibition. Arsenal had difficulties in creating, as they have done in many games this season, and they could not take impulse after taking a first part ahead.
The title challengers are expected to grow with confidence after taking an early advantage instead of establishing themselves to protect what they have. Jorginho was caught in the ball too many times, while neither Merino nor Rice influenced the game in the final third. The balance felt out, with too many players behind the ball and Gabriel Jesús remote or had to fall deeply or wide to attend the progress of the game.
In 58 games, Hvertz only retires from the bank only seven times, an unused replacement once and only 3 games with injuries or suspension were lost. His ability to lift arsenal on the floor and give them a goal in the box lost a day when Arsenal has rarely threatened.
Even when Odeegaard was sent off with 27 minutes to play, Arsenal may not fight the game’s opposition. If one team was looking to win, it was Brighton.
Jordan Campbell
Brighton forced the arsenal in difficult conditions the game, rarely gave them time and area in the ball.
They temporarily adapted to the Arsenal midfielder’s rotations, blocking any attempt to advance the ball in the middle. Compared to the profiles of their first six and the power of Brighton’s tactical approach.
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This meant that they might not get the decisive moment, which went to Brighton after Joao Pedro’s penalty. Fabian Hurzeler had set the wheels in motion from half-time, with the arrivals of Georginio Rutter and Yankuba Minteh adding to the chaos in which Brighton thrived in place of the quiet Arsenal with a slim run in a noisy Amex Stadium.
Kaoru Mitoma also caused problems to makeshift right-back Partey after replacing Simon Adingra in the 62nd minute. Even with Odegaard coming onto the pitch two minutes later, Brighton looked like the team more likely to score.
The raffle, the 7 of the Arsenal season in 20 games, leaves five problems behind Liverpool, which deserve to welcome Manchester United and have not yet played their adjustment after Everton. Arsenal has 18 games to play, however, his hopes of winning the name will be incredibly thin if Liverpool expires United.
Anantajith Raghuraman
Speaking to BBC Radio Five Live, Arteta said: “Obviously, we’re looking to win the game. It’s a tough position to come in and they’re a very smart side. Well, we got a great purpose and we were in control.
“In the second half, we didn’t really grab the game or dominate enough to have certain moments and be more of a threat in their half. But defensively we did not concede much apart from the transition moment with Minteh.”
On his schedule, he added: “When you play every 3 days or less than that, you can’t with the number of injuries and conditions the point of functionality and competitiveness. Today, we lost it at the moment in the middle.
“Today, it’s not a fatigue consultation, those were undeniable things that we have to do in the ownership of a ball to give opportunities and dominate the game in the right areas. “
Brighton’s penalty was a situation, Arteta said she was “strange. ” “We probably have never noticed it before. I don’t have in my career. Then it is a new one.
Tuesday, January 7: Newcastle (H), Carabao Cup in the semifinal at first sight, 8 p. m. GMT, P. M.