Premier League

BRIGHTON 1 (Pedro 61 pen)
ARSENAL 1 (Nwaneri 16)

MIKEL Arteta was left questioning a critical penalty decision after watching Arsenal’s title hopes take a massive hit this evening (Saturday) away at Brighton.

The Gunners took the lead with just 16 minutes on the clock when Ethan Nwaneri marked his second match in the Premier League with a clinical finish.

The 17-year-old linked up with Mikel Merino and Declan Rice before firing a shot that squirmed past goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and found the far corner.

It was looking like a routine outing for the north Londoners: a question of how many they would score. But they were to pay for not taking their chances when the referee pointed to the spot on the hour-mark.

Joao Pedro flicked the ball up and William Saliba, and in attempting to nod it away, made contact with the head of the Brazilian forward who went to ground. A sudden VAR check resulted in a spot-kick, and Pedro then sent David Raya the wrong way to level the scores.

“I’ve never seen a decision like this in my career,” said Arteta after the game. “I asked the boys if they have and nobody has seen it before. When you look at the incident, the distance, the player, Joao Pedro touching the ball and Saliba touching the ball. You can see contact there.”

It could have got worse for Arsenal, with Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh curling wide from inside the area when well-placed.

The result leaves Arteta’s side five points behind leaders Liverpool having played two games more.

“First of all on the game, this is a really tough place to come,” reflected Arteta. “I think we started the game well and in the first half scored a great goal and didn’t really concede anything. But in the second half, we dropped our standards and level with the ball, giving too many balls away.

“That never allowed us really to generate momentum and dominance in the game to control and go for the second goal. And without really conceding much apart from that transition moment with Minteh, [the penalty] becomes a decision that is very, very disappointing.”

Quizzed on why his team only managed nine shots throughout the game, Arteta added: “You cannot rely just on one player to work. I think the process in the second half, especially we lack certain things and it’s normal because the fluidity that we have in certain areas with the players we have is not the same. But certainly it’s something we can do much better and that’s on us.”

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION: Verbruggen, Estupinan, Julio (Webster, 66), van Hecke, Veltman, Ayari, Baleba, Adingra (Mitoma, 62), O’Riley (Rutter, 46), Gruda (Minteh, 46), Jaoo Pedro
Substitutes not used: Steele, Lamptey, Igor, Webster, Enciso, March, Moder.

ARSENAL: Raya, Calafiori, Saliba, Gabriel, Partey, Rice, Merino, Jorginho (Odegaard, 64), Trossard, Nwaneri (Martinelli, 45+1), Jesus
Substitutes not used: Neto, Butler-Oyedeji, Kabia, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly, Zinchenko, Tierney