Arsenal’s Premier League title ambitions suffered a setback following a 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion. Mikel Arteta’s side, who were without Kai Havertz and saw captain Martin Odegaard limited to one second-half start due to illness, opened the scoring thanks to a nice move and finish from the youngster Ethan Nwaneri.
However, midway through the second half, William Saliba was found guilty of fouling Joao Pedro after head contact inside the area, with the Brazilian converting the penalty in the process.
The draw leaves Arsenal five points behind league leaders Liverpool, who are due to host Manchester United on Sunday, having already played two games more.
Jordan Campbell and Anantaajith Raghuraman analyze the key lessons learned from this match at the Amex Stadium.
Why was William Saliba penalized for his duel with Joao Pedro?
Referee Anthony Taylor took a moment to reflect before awarding the penalty. If this decision took longer than usual, it was probably because it was a rare incident in a crowded penalty area.
The ball bounced into the box and, as Joao Pedro approached, he managed to lift it into the air, prompting Saliba to go for the challenge. The Brazilian slightly ahead of Saliba and touched the ball with his head. Saliba continued his duel, which led to Joao Pedro falling to the ground in theatrical fashion while claiming a foul.
The fact that Saliba maintained his balance, and the Arsenal players around the ball did not react, gave the impression that nothing dangerous had happened during the live broadcast.
Replays showed that Saliba had indeed touched the Brighton striker, but it is rare for a penalty to be awarded for a clash of heads, although it is basically one late player getting in the way of another, all like a foot fault.
Saliba and his Arsenal teammates dispute Anthony Taylor’s decision after Brighton were awarded a penalty (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
A similar incident occurred earlier today when Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon suffered a nose injury after contact with Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski. There was contact, but it was not considered sufficient to justify a penalty.
VAR upheld the referee’s decision despite protests from Arsenal players, who felt a similar frustration to that experienced during their home clash with Brighton in August, when Declan Rice received a second yellow card for moving the ball a few steps during a free kick.
These could be examples of rare incidents where VAR leaves judgment to the on-field referee, given that there is little precedent for this.
Jordan Campbell
The short but beautiful appearance of Ethan Nwaneri
With Odegaard on the bench and three starting midfielders less known for their creativity, much of the responsibility for creating chances fell on Nwaneri. But Brighton did well to block Arsenal’s progress in the first half, marking Jorginho from close range and forcing the visitors to frequently pass laterally or backwards.
In a disjointed first half where neither team managed to create any real chances, a moment of precision and determination was crucial and Arsenal delivered it perfectly in the 16th minute.
The rotations of their midfield trio without the ball caused confusion for Brighton, and while Declan Rice moved into an open position on the right, Nwaneri and Mikel Merino were inside, Pervis Estupinan and Igor Julio were out of their position.
A clever exchange between Merino and Rice saw the latter release Nwaneri in a wide area, with the young player cutting onto his left foot before scoring into the far corner — a finish we’ve seen many times from the part of Bukayo Saka, from whom he took the letters of nobility.
Nwaneri thus enters a prestigious category, becoming the sixth player to score multiple Premier League goals before the age of 18, after Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Danny Cadamarteri, James Milner and Federico Macheda.
However, he was largely muzzled thereafter and Brighton handled their corner kicks well. He received a yellow card at first-half stoppage time for wasting time before a corner and, having also played 78 minutes in their 3–1 win over Brentford on New Year’s Day, Gabriel Martinelli replaced him at half-time.
Nwaneri celebrates giving Arsenal the lead in the first half (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Anantajith Raghuraman
Arsenal struggled without their best attackers
It was the first Premier League match since Havertz’s arrival last summer where neither he nor Odegaard started. Both have been almost ever-present when available, but the German missed the squad while Odegaard was only fit enough to start on the bench after suffering illness this week.
With Saka out for an extended period, this posed an additional challenge for Arteta, but instead of moving Nwaneri into the middle as Odegaard’s replacement, he opted to keep him on the wing.
This has led to a more functional midfield mix with Jorginho, Mikel Merino and Declan Rice. Given that Thomas Partey started at right-back and Riccardo Calafiori occupied the left-back position, this was a rather conservative XI on paper.
Arsenal’s goal was a result of some nice rotations between Rice, Merino and Nwaneri on the right flank, but it remained exceptional amid a rather lackluster performance. Arsenal struggled to create, as has been the case in many games this season, and they failed to build momentum after taking the lead in the first half.
Title contenders are expected to gain confidence after taking an early lead, rather than being satisfied with defending their lead. Jorginho was trapped too often and neither Merino nor Rice were able to influence the game in the final third. The imbalance was noticeable, with too many players behind the ball, and Gabriel Jesus often isolated or forced to drop back or widen to help progress the play.
In 58 games, Havertz only came on seven times, was an unused substitute only once, and only missed three other games through injury or suspension. His absence, which could have helped Arsenal project themselves and provide a presence in the box, was felt that day as Arsenal struggled to pose threats.
Even when Odegaard was introduced with 27 minutes remaining, Arsenal could not control the game. If any team looked like they could win, it was Brighton.
Jordan Campbell
A big blow in the title race
Brighton kept Arsenal struggling throughout the match, giving them little time and space on the ball.
They quickly adapted to Arsenal’s midfield rotations, frequently blocking any attempts to progress through the center. Arsenal struggled to create chances, a testament to the difficulties they face, both due to the profiles of their forward line and the effectiveness of Brighton’s tactical approach.
This meant they were unable to get the decisive goal, which went to Brighton following Joao Pedro’s penalty. Fabian Hurzeler had already started the attack at half-time, with the entries of Georginio Rutter and Yankuba Minteh adding to the chaos that suited Brighton rather than the calm that Arsenal would have wanted with a close scoreline at a noisy Amex Stadium .
Gabriel Jesus shows his frustration as Arsenal are held to a draw at the Amex (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Kaoru Mitoma also caused problems for makeshift right-back Partey after replacing Simon Adingra in the 62nd minute. Even with Odegaard entering the game two minutes later, Brighton appeared to be the team more likely to score.
The draw — Arsenal’s seventh this season in 20 matches — leaves them five points behind Liverpool, who are due to host Manchester United tomorrow and are yet to play their postponed match against Everton. Arsenal still have 18 games to play, but their chances of winning the title would look extremely slim if Liverpool were to beat United.
Anantajith Raghuraman
What did Mikel Arteta say?
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Arteta said: “Obviously we wanted to win this game. It’s a tough place and they’re a really good team. We started well, scored a great goal and were in control.
“In the second half, we didn’t really know how to take control of the game or dominate enough to have key moments and be more threatening in their half. But defensively, we didn’t concede much apart from the transition moment with Minteh.”
On their busy schedule, he added: “When you play every three days or even less, you cannot maintain the level of performance and competitiveness with so many injuries and situations. Today we lacked that in the second half.”
“Today was not about fatigue, but the simple elements we need to master in possession to create chances and dominate the game in the right areas.”
The penalty decision at Brighton was an unusual situation, with Arteta calling it “Bizarre”. “We’ve probably never seen this before. I haven’t seen it in my career. So it’s something new.”
What next for Arsenal?
Tuesday January 7: Newcastle (D), Carabao Cup semi-final, first leg, 8 p.m. GMT, 3 p.m. ET
Also read
(Photo principale : David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
This match raises questions about Arsenal’s ability to keep the pressure on in the title race, especially without some key players. What strategy should be interrupted to perform better in future matches and avoid losing points which could cost them dearly at the end of the season?
- -
