Arsenal’s pursuit of the English Premier League title took a significant blow after being held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, 4th January.
The match, which saw an early goal from Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri cancelled out by a penalty from Joao Pedro, left the Gunners struggling to maintain pressure on league leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal, currently second in the table with 40 points from 20 games, now trail Liverpool by five points. Brighton sit 10th with 28 points.
Nwaneri, 17, opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a composed finish after cutting inside from the right, marking his second English Premier League goal before his 18th birthday—making him the first Arsenal player to achieve this feat. However, his performance was marred by a yellow card in first-half stoppage time for taking too long over a corner.
Brighton came out strongly in the second half and equalised in the 61st minute when Joao Pedro won a penalty after a head clash with William Saliba. After a brief hesitation, referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot, and Pedro calmly converted, sending goalkeeper David Raya the wrong way.
Despite needing a win to close the gap on Liverpool, Arsenal struggled to find their rhythm. Brighton came close to snatching all three points in the 77th minute when Yankuba Minteh’s cross evaded both Yasin Ayari and Kaoru Mitoma, leaving Arsenal fortunate to escape unscathed.
The Gunners’ best chance came in stoppage time when former Brighton player Leandro Trossard’s effort flew over the bar, ensuring a fourth consecutive draw for Brighton.
[MORE: Saturday EPL Round-Up: Haaland’s Brace Leads Man City to 4-1 Win, Palace Deny Chelsea, Brentford Hammer Southampton 5-0 ]
Earlier in the day, Manchester City thrashed West Ham 4-1, with Erling Haaland scoring twice. Elsewhere, Crystal Palace held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw, Brentford demolished Southampton 5-0, Aston Villa won 2-1 against Leicester, Newcastle triumphed 2-1 over Tottenham, and Bournemouth edged Everton 1-0.
