Arsenal was unable to close the gap on league leaders Liverpool, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by hosts Brighton on Saturday evening in the twentieth round of the English Premier League.
Ethan Nwaneri scored Arsenal’s goal in the 16th minute, while Brighton equalized through Joao Pedro with a penalty in the 61st minute.
With the draw, Arsenal increased their points total to 40, remaining in second place, 5 points behind leaders Liverpool, who will face Manchester United on Sunday.
Brighton’s points total increased to 28, placing them in tenth position in the Premier League table.
The first significant chance of the match came in the 6th minute when Arsenal’s Trossard took a shot from the edge of the penalty area, but Brighton defender Igor was there to block it.
In the 12th minute, Nwaneri quickly advanced the ball toward Brighton’s half after it was cleared from a corner, but full-back Estupinan intercepted and won possession.
Arsenal took the lead in the 16th minute when Nwaneri received a pass from Mikel Merino. He made a run down the right side, entered the penalty area, and calmly placed a low shot into the net.
Brighton responded in the 22nd minute when Adingra floated in a cross, which Gruda met with a header towards O’Reilly. However, Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was quick to intervene and collected the ball before O’Reilly could reach it.
After taking the lead, Arsenal relied on quick counterattacks, but full-back Estupinan thwarted Nwaneri’s efforts on two occasions, the last being in the 32nd minute.
In the 34th minute, Brighton’s Joao Pedro seized the ball from Arsenal’s Jorginho and passed it to O’Reilly, who then found Adingra. However, Adingra’s shot went wide of the target.
In the 37th minute, Brighton goalkeeper Verbruggen denied Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus a goal-scoring opportunity with a crucial save.
Arsenal came close to doubling their lead in the 40th minute from a corner kick. The ball reached Jesus, but his header went wide after being crowded by his teammate Merino.
At halftime, Gabriel Martinelli replaced Nwaneri, and in the 49th minute, Estupinan fired a long-range shot that deflected off a defender before being collected by Raya.
Brighton were awarded a penalty in the 61st minute after Joao Pedro was headbutted by William Saliba. Pedro stepped up and converted the spot kick, levelling the score at 1-1.
Martin Odegaard replaced Jorginho, but the tempo of the game slowed until the 77th minute. Substitute Yankuba made a run down the right wing, evading Riccardo Calafiori, and sent in a cross that substitute Mitoma failed to reach, just inches from the goal line.
In the 88th minute, Arsenal came close to reclaiming the lead when Declan Rice took a free kick, and Thomas Partey rose to head it over the bar, as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Here are the other played games results of Saturday:
- Leicester City 1-2 Aston Villa
- Southampton 0-5 Brentford
- Bournemouth 1-0 Everton
