Brighton 1-1 Arsenal: Premier League – live

5 Jan 2025

The Guardian

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Ethan Nwaneri scored for Arsenal on only his second Premier League start, but a Joao Pedro penalty in the second half rescued a point for the hosts

“I’m disappointed because we wanted to win the game,” the Arsenal manager tells Sky Sports. “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. I’ve never seen that in my life – and Saliba touches the ball. [It wasn’t one] for me, no.

“We’re playing every three days. I understand how much we want to [win], but in terms of the quality and the consistency and doing the simple things right against a competitive team, but we didn’t do enough today.”

“I think it should be more and again and in the end I’m standing here after the games and I feel like I have to repeat myself all the time,” says the Brighton manager in a chat with Sky Sports.

“Of course it’s a disappointing feeling. I think we weren’t that intense for the first 20 minutes but after their goal I thought it was much better. The big word for us is being more consistent, playing the way we want to play for 90 minutes and then hopefully we get the result we expect.”

Premier League match report: “This was another two points dropped in Arsenal’s race to keep up with pacesetters Liverpool, as a penalty from João Pedro cancelled out Ethan Nwaneri’s second Premier League goal,” writes Ed Aarons from the Amex Stadium.

João Pedro earns point for Brighton against Arsenal after Nwaneri opener

Joao Pedro: “We started the game well,” says Brighton’s captain for the night. “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.”

On the penalty: “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 and hopefully I’ll score more.”

Jean Paul van Hecke: “I think we did quite well,” says the Brighton defender in an interview with Sky Sports. “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.”

Liverpool v Manchester United in doubt: Liverpool could find themselves with three games in hand over Arsenal this time tomorrow, because with heavy snowfall forecast in the Liverpool area tonight, Liverpool City Council’s safety advisory group will hold a meeting tomorrow to see if it’s safe for the game to go ahead.

I suspect there are plenty of Manchester United fans who will be on their knees praying that it gets postponed until such time as their team is slightly less … well, rubbish.

An email: “I’m an Arsenal fan but I am so fed up with Arteta,” writes Ben Sherwood. “For the most part we don’t play good football at a sustained high level, we don’t get the most from a talented squad, we’ve built a conspiracy mentality and try to deflect all of our own failures onto other factors. The moaning, time-wasting and theatrics aren’t worth it for where we are in the league.”

The table: Arsenal remain in second place, five points behind Liverpool, who have two games in hand. Brighton’s point move them up to 10th place, a point ahead of Brentford and one behind Fulham. They’ve now gone eight top flight games without a win: six draws and two defeats.

Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeeeeep! It’s all over at the Amex Stadium, where Brighton have come from behind to earn themselves a well-deserved draw. Ethan Nwaneri opened the scoring for Arsenal in a dreary first half, but Brighton upped their game after the break and equalised through a Joao Pedro penalty. It’s probably a fair result, even if both teams will probably feel they should have done better.

90+4 min: As things stand, this will game will end in a draw that won’t suit either team particularly well. Brighton will be happy to have rescued a point but will feel they should have won on the strength of an excellent second half performance.

Arsenal will view it for what it is – an opportunity to claw a little more ground on Liverpool missed. As things stand, Arne Slot’s side lead them by five points and have two games in hand. It’s all over … the game, that is. Not the title race, although I can’t see Liverpool getting caught.

90+3 min: Leandro Trossard cuts in from the left and sends a shot high into the stand behind the goal. He should have at least hit the target.

90+2 min: Merino pulls the ball low and hard across the edge of the Brighton six-yard box but the home side are able to clear it.

90+1 min: Adam Webster connects with a free-kick into the Arsenal penalty area but steers his header straight into the gloves of David Raya. We’re into six minutes of added time.

90 min: “If you accidentally kick a player in the box, it’s a penalty, so it seems entirely fair that if you accidentally headbutt a player in the box - it’s also a penalty,” writes Tama.

89 min: Rice’s cross into the penalty area is excellent but Thomas Partey connects and heads way, way over the bar.

88 min: Rutter needlessly fouls Rice to give Arsenal a free-kick in a decent position, in line with the right side of the Brighton penalty area, about 30 yards from goal.

86 min: Webster picks out Estupinan with a neat dink towards the byline but the Ecuadorian runs into traffic as he tries to cut inside and Arsenal clear.

84 min: Mikel Merino gets booked for a foul that leaves Rutter rolling on the ground in pain. Free-kick for Brighton, about 30 yards from the Arsenal goal, a little right of centre. Ayari slips on the wet turf as he shoots and his effort is well wide.

83 min: Mitoma plays the ball inside to Estupinan as Brighton surge forward again. Van Hecke plays a crossfield ball to Mitoma, who is unable to keep it in play. Arsenal throw-in, deep inside their own half.

82 min: “Some much-needed counterweight to the persecution complex Arsenal fans,” writes Sean Orlowicz. “I don’t care if the penalty was fair or not. This is what you get for routinely time wasting as soon as you get a one goal lead instead of going for a second. It’s so embarrassing watching Partey take 30 seconds to take a throw in the first half.”

80 min: Brighton continue to turn the screw, their tails up as we enter the last 10 minutes of this contest. Hurzeler’s substitutions have made a big difference to his team’s performance, while Mikel Arteta’s have had no discernible effect on Arsenal’s.

76 min: Obviously in on the Big Conspiracy to do Arsenal down, Yankuba Minteh cuts inside from the right, advances towards the Arsenal goal and drives a teasing low ball across the face of it. There’s nobody in a Brighton shirt on hand to poke it home. Neither Ayeri nor Mitoma were too far away, mind.

75 min: “Of course us Arsenal fans are going to be upset with the call,” writes Mike. “And of course the Guardian will side with the ref and think Arsenal fans are whiners. Never see positive coverage during a live Arsenal match. If it was Man City, however, the call would have been atrocious.”

74 min: The momentum seems to be with Brighton at the moment in a game that could easily go either way.

72 min: Another Arsenal corner. Brighton send the usual trio towards the halfway line, so Arsenal have to follow suit. Bart Verbruggen stretches to claim the subsequent inswinger in a reasonably uncrowded penalty area.

70 min: Thomas Partey obstructs Joao Pedro’s progress on the halfway line and is penalised for his troubles. Already sporting a bandage on his cheekbone, presumably a souvenir of the foul that earned him his penalty-kick, the Brazilian sits on the ground looking a mite fed-up by the battering he’s taking.

67 min: With rain lashing down on the south coast and Adam Webster on for the injured Igor Julio, Brighton go forward. Estupinan’s good cross into the Arsenal penalty area is headed clear. Igor appears to have done himself a mischief sliding in to prevent Mikel Merino running on to a ball in behind.

64 min: Arsenal substitution: Martin Odegaard on for Jorginho. Brighton susbtitution: Kaoru Mitoma on for Simon Adingra.

62 min: Parity is restored but Arsenal’s players were not one bit happy about the awarding of that penalty. Anthony Taylor thought long and hard before giving it and it’s hard to disagree with his decision.

It was a clear foul, albeit a totally accidental one on William Saliba’s part. Other opinions are available and I’m sure we’ll hear plenty of them from irate Arsenal fans if they don’t go on to win this game.

Brighton equalise! Joao Pedro sends David Raya the wrong way and scores from the spot, firing into the right side of the gaping goal.

William Saliba accidentally catches Joao Pedro in the face with his head as the Brighton man turns and tries to spin past him. The home side have a spot-kick for an offence I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.

58 min: Rice’s low delivery across the penalty area is sliced wide by Merino, who was stretching every sinew.

57 min: Declan Rice goes to ground holding his shoulder after a mid-air clash with Estupinan, who blindsided him as the duo contested the high ball. Free-kick for Arsenal, wide on the right.

56 min: Declan Rice’s inswinger towards the far post is a good one but he can only find the head of a Brighton defender and the hosts clear their lines.

55 min: Adingra gets back to put the ball out of play for a corner off the toe of Martinelli. Corner for Arsenal.

52 min: There’s plenty of time to go but Brighton’s almost total inability to cause the Arsenal defence anything in the way of problems will surely be a source of concern to Fabian Hurzeler. If his side fails to win this game, they’ll have gone eight without a victory in the Premier League, despite their young manager talking up many of the performances in which they drew or lost.

50 min: Gabriel Jesus and Jean Paul van Hecke collide as the Brazilian backs into the Dutchman and knocks him over while trying to chest down a dropping ball with his back to goal on the edge of the Brighton penalty area. The home side win a free-kick.

48 min: Brighton win a couple of throw-ins in quick succession, slowly making their way upfield like a rugby team relying on line-outs.

47 min: Brighton keep getting the ball wide to Simon Adingra on the left touchline and he keeps playing it back inside about 20 metres behind him.

46 min: Play resumes with Gabriel Martinelli on for Arsenal’s goalscorer, Ethan Nwaneri, who was on a booking. Brighton have made two changes, bringing on Georgino Rutter and Yankuba Minteh for Matt O’Riley and Brajan Gruda.

An email: “You’ve got to hand it to both teams – this is the most realistic simulation of a crap 90s football game possible with several hundreds of millions pounds’ worth of players on the pitch,” writes Charles Antaki.

Half-time: Lit up by Ethan Nwaneri’s slightly fortuitous strike on 16 minutes, an otherwise uneventful half draws to a close. Truth be told, it’s been a fairly boring contest so far with little in the way of talking points apart from the goal but Arsenal fans won’t care as long as their team can go on to convert their lead into three points.

45+3 min: Brighton get back on the ball but lose it again when Yasin Ayari is dispossessed in midfield. It’s half-time …

45 min: Rice runs down the right flank on to a ball over the top and wins a corner for his side. Arsenal avengers assemble at the far post, as Nwaneri goes to take it. The 17-year-old takes so long standing over the dead ball that he’s booked for timewasting. When he eventually sends the ball into the mixer, Estupinan clears it. That caution seemed a little officious, fussy and needless on the part of referee Anthony Taylor.

44 min: Brighton press forward, all huff and puff but with little in the way of end product. Adingra’s cross is far too close to David Raya, who gathers comfortably.

42 min: Saliba mops up at the back for Arsenal, controlling and clearing a through ball that Joao Pedro was trying to run on to.

39 min: Another Arsenal corner, this time from the left. In a bid to reduce congestion in the box, Brighton send three men to the halfway line, so Arsenal have to put men on them.

Declan Rice’s inswinger is headed over the bar by Gabriel Jesus. Nearer the front post, Gabriel went to ground under the close attention of Matt O’Riley as the ball came in. He wants a penalty but the match officials aren’t interested.

38 min: Nwaneri curls the dead ball wide at the near post. It’s safe to say that’s not one from the Nicolas Jover playbook.

36 min: With Rice pulling the strings, Arsenal work the ball from left to right and Nwaneri wins a corner off Estupinan.

34 min: Matt O’Riley squares the ball for Adingra, who with loads of goal to aim at from about 10 yards out, somehow manages to slice it horribly wide. That looked like a terrific chance but Adingra didn’t make proper contact with the ball. Perhaps he slipped …

34 min: Verbruggen launches the ball upfield, Joao Pedro knocks it down and Matt O’Riley shanks a shot towards the corner flag.

31 min: Brighton get the ball wide to Veltman, who plays it back inside again. It really is that exciting.

28 min: His every touch of the ball still soundtracked by a chorus of half-hearted boos, Trossard cuts in from the left and curls a great ball towards the far post. It’s cleared.

26 min: Now Jorginho tries to pick out Gabriel Jesus with a ball over the top. It’s controlled and cleared by Igor Julio.

25 min: Baleba plays a ball over the top from deep for Adingra to chase but puts far too much welly on his pass. David Raya collects unopposed and at his leisure.

23 min: Looking at a replay of Arsenal’s opener, it’s fair to say Bart Verbruggen should definitely have done better in the Brighton goal. Channeling his inner hologram, he somehow let the ball pass through him when it seems he should have saved fairly comfortably. Jean Paul van Hecke could have done more too, as he allowed Nwaneri to bear down on goal unchallenged.

21 min: Adingra stands the ball up for Gruder at the far post. His downward header is grabbed by David Raya before Matt O’Riley can get to the ball. The Dane clatters into the goalkeeper as a consolation, leaving him winded, flat on his back and in need of treatment.