Brighton vs Arsenal LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Joao Pedro equaliser secures point for hosts
Brighton 1-1 Arsenal: The Gunners are now five points behind league leaders Liverpool who have two games in hand
Arsenal dropped more points in their pursuit of Liverpool in the Premier League title race after a bizarre incident between William Saliba and Joao Pedro resulted in a Brighton equaliser at the Amex Stadium.
The Gunners, freshly renewed in front of goal, were confident that they could collect all three points this afternoon and things started well with teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri cutting in from the right and curling home a left-footed strike that reminded of Bukayo Saka’s best goals.
Arsenal took the lead but then settled for it. They took time out of the match and allowed Brighton possession instead of doggedly hunting a second goal. Fortune then favoured the hosts.
Pedro received a pass inside Arsenal’s box and looked to control it with a header just as Saliba attempted to nod the ball clear. The defender arrived too late and headbutted Pedro resulting in a strange penalty being awarded to the hosts.
Pedro converted from the spot and, despite some attacking substitutions from Mikel Arteta, Arsenal were unable to restore their advantage.
Relive the action with our live blog below:
More from Van Hecke who told BBC Match of the Day:
“I am not to be honest [thinking of it like a win]. We now have a streak of eight games without a win. Of course it is a good point against one of the best teams in the league but we also need to win games. The first half was not good enough from us and we concede a goal that can’t really happen in my opinion. You saw a different team in the second half.
“All season you have seen parts where we are really strong and good where we can be the best teams in the league then halves or parts in the game we are not and we belong to the worst in the league. Consistency is the word and we need to be better in the future.
“The intensity we played with. We really went toe-to-toe with them and then you see we are very strong. When we score we should maybe score another one. In the end it is a good result.”
Brighton’s star man
Brighton’s Joao Pedro has been involved in 10 goals across his last 13 Premier League appearances (five goals, five assists), netting home and away against Arsenal this season.
Brighton goalscorer Joao Pedro, speaking to Sky Sports:
“We started the game well. We could have won but got a point. We need to look forward.
“We conceded in the first half but knew we could win this game. We tried to score at the beginning of the second half. We wanted to win.
“I tried to control the ball and then [Saliba] hit me. It’s good that I scored. I always try to be positive with goals and assists. I like the feeling [of scoring] and hopefully I’ll score more.”
Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke, speaking to Sky Sports:
“I think we did quite well. We shouldn’t have conceded the first goal. That shouldn’t happen to us, but you can see a lot of character in the boys. We need to be more consistent.
“We have a really young team. The average age of our team is 23. It’s tough sometimes, but our guys fight for everything. Maybe you need a bit more experience to manage the game.
“In some parts we are really good. Consistency is an important thing for us to get back where we need to be.”
Brighton back in top half
A deserved point for Brighton sends them into the top half of the table as they move up to 10th leapfrogging Brentford. Fabian Hurzeler’s men secure another draw and once again fail to take full advantage of a positive performance.
Full-time! Brighton 1-1 Arsenal
90+6 mins: The full-time whistle goes with Arsenal held to a draw on the south coast.
Brighton deserved their point and probably more on reflection. The Gunners pushed for the winner in the closing stages but for too long they were passengers in the game.
They hold on to second place but gift a big advantage to Liverpool now.
Brighton 1-1 Arsenal
90+3 mins: Leandro Trossard cuts into the box from the left wing and drills a shot over the crossbar. That was a chance but the former Brighton player couldn’t keep the ball down.
Time is running out for Arsenal.
Brighton 1-1 Arsenal
90 mins: Six minutes to play at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton 1-1 Arsenal
88 mins: The rain is pumping down now as Mikel Arteta grimaces on the sidelines. Declan Rice lifts a free kick into the box and finds Thomas Partey but the midfielder fires a header over the top.
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