Arsenal seemed to dominate at the Emirates Stadium, leading 1-0 at halftime thanks to Kai Havertz’s goal. In contrast, Brighton struggled to create significant chances, registering only 0.08 expected goals (xG) and no shots on target in the first half.
However, the game changed dramatically just four minutes into the second half. Declan Rice received a second yellow card for delaying play by kicking the ball away, obstructing Brighton’s Joel Veltman from taking a quick free-kick.
With the numerical advantage, Brighton began to take control and soon equalized. They continued to challenge Arsenal and created additional chances to secure a win but ultimately failed to take all three points.
Post-match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta voiced his frustration in an interview with BBC Match of the Day. He felt his team deserved to win both when the sides were level and after going down to 10 men. “Overall, when we played 11 v 11, we deserved to win the game, and even at 11 v 10, we deserved to win the game. We lost two points,” Arteta said.
Arteta also criticized the refereeing for inconsistency, noting that while Rice’s booking was technically correct, it seemed harsh given the circumstances. The ball was still in motion when Veltman attempted the free-kick, and many Arsenal fans felt that Brighton’s Joao Pedro avoided a booking for a similar or even worse offense earlier. Additionally, Pedro scored Brighton’s equalizer less than ten minutes after Rice’s dismissal.
On Rice’s red card, Arteta expressed his discontent, saying, “I was amazed. In the first half, when the opponents did similar things, they didn’t get booked. He made the call by law in a non-critical area of the pitch, and if that’s the case, they should have had a man sent off too, making it 10 v 10.”
Arteta also commended his team and fans for their response after going down to 10 men, highlighting that Arsenal still created two clear chances to win the match, which he believed should have been taken.
