New Delhi: Arsenal and Brighton got matchday three underway at the Emirates Stadium tonight as both sides played a thrilling encounter that ended in a draw. Both teams have displayed their attacking prowess creating numerous scoring opportunities but neither of the sides could manage to find the winner after the full 90 minutes. At the start of the match, Arsenal was high on pressing as Odegaard charged in from the right before getting blocked even Saka created an opportunity inside the box but got just cleared.
Arsenal started the game brightly with Saka looking especially dangerous on the right side of the wing and was causing the Brighton defence a lot of problems. All of Arsenal’s attack in the first half seemed to come down the right channel but none of the shots ever came close to testing Bart Verbruggen in goal, who was making his first Premier League start for the Seagulls this season.
While Arsenal looked dangerous throughout the half, it took them until the 38th minute to get in front as Kai Havertz put Arsenal 1-0 up as he clipped the ball over the head of Brighton keeper Verbruggen who was way off his line. Saka helped set up the goal by placing the ball into the path after Dunk made a defensive error. The first half ended with Arsenal leading 1-0.
The second half kicked off with Brighton looking to register themselves on the scoresheet and the half couldn’t have started better for them. Declan Rice was sent off the field in the 49th minute as he picked up a second yellow card. He tried to move the ball away from Veltman as he tried to take the free-kick quickly and was shown a second yellow for the same. Rice will now miss the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur, which is Arsenal’s next fixture.
Kai Havertz scores his team’s first goal past Bart Verbruggen during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Emirates Stadium on August 31, 2024. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
The mood at the Emirates changed drastically as the hosts went down to 10 players and losing Rice meant that Arsenal lost their grip in the middle of the park which left them exposed. Brighton wasted no time in taking advantage of the situation and were back on level terms within 10 minutes of Rice’s sending off. Brighton’s captain, Lewis Dunk, who was at fault for Havertz’s goal, made up for that error with a defence-splitting pass through to Yankuba Minteh, whose shot was saved well by David Raya but the ball fell to Joao Pedro, whose brilliant follow-through made it 1-1.
Soon after conceding the goal Arsenal brought on Riccardo Calafiori for Leandro Trossard in a bid to preserve the draw. Bukayo Saka made two excellent runs but Bart Verbruggen was on hand to thwart those chances and that just increased the pressure on Arteta’s side but to no avail. The game laboured to full time following Pedro’s goal as neither side looked like really threatening the opposition’s goal.
The two unbeaten sides in the league keep their unbeaten record intact but the Gunners would surely feel they dropped two points tonight. Fabian Hürzeler continues his great start to life in the Premier League as after beating Manchester United last weekend at home, his side have managed to snatch a draw away at Arsenal. This could be a sign of good things to come for the young German’s side.
Player of the Match
Joao Pedro celebrates Brighton’s1st goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Emirates Stadium on August 31, 2024. (Photo by Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
For the second successive Premier League game, Brazillian forward Joao Pedro has had a direct say in the result. Following his injury-time winner against Manchester United last weekend, he once again directly affected the result as he scored the equalizer for his side against a dangerous-looking Arsenal side. He always looked a threat for the Seagulls and showed exactly poacher-like instincts to grab the goal.
Apart from getting the goal for his side, he was their most dangerous player on the pitch, getting 67 touches on the ball, out of which nine came in the opposition’s penalty box. He even helped his side out defensively whenever required, showcased by his five recoveries and three defensive actions. He caused the Arsenal defence a lot of problems as shown by the fact that he was fouled thrice during the entire game.
Arsenal took the lead towards the end of the first half courtesy of a beautiful lob from Kai Havertz but Declan Rice’s red card early in the second half changed things for the Gunners. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
