The Gunners miss a chance to take advantage of leaders Liverpool

Arsenal’s hopes of closing the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool were dealt a blow as the Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw away at Brighton.

Ethan Nwaneri put the visitors ahead in the first half, but the hosts fought back after the break and deservedly equalized when Joao Pedro struck from the penalty spot.

Mikel Arteta’s side may have been happy to leave the south coast with anything after Fabian Hurzeler’s side could have secured their first win in seven in the second half.

But with five of those games tied, it was perhaps no surprise that the Seagulls got a point in a game that intrigued rather than excited.

The result means Arsenal have moved within five points of Liverpool, but the Reds have played two games less.

Brighton, meanwhile, moved up to 11th.

Brighton points division.

An opportunity to quickly turn the page on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/OvxH20cvqa

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 4, 2025

How the plot unfolded

Nwaneri, in only his second Premier League start, opened the scoring after quarter of an hour; the teenager finished well after an incisive run down Arsenal’s right that involved Declan Rice and Mikel Merino.

From that point on, the game was mostly uneventful; two teams with similar possession-based styles seem to cancel each other out.

ETHAN NWANERI! 🔥

This 17-year-old leads Arsenal in only his second start in the Premier League 😲 pic.twitter.com/NnXFZfrDfq

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 4, 2025

It felt more like a battle of brains than brawn. The lively Simon Adingra had a chance for the hosts shortly after half an hour, but Bjelokovac snatched a shot that ended up wide of the goal.

Merino then headed home from the corner, and Arsenal went into the break with the advantage.

The second half brought changes on both sides. But the momentum of the game remained largely the same.

However, just before the hour mark, the pendulum swung in Brighton’s favor when they were awarded a penalty after William Saliba was adjudged to have fouled Joao Pedro as he attempted a header in the box.

In a rather unusual turn of events, Pedro lifted the ball before Saliba caught him with a header as the Brazilian turned.

Joao Pedro converts from the spot to equalize against Arsenal! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/dbI6H0E9dv

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 4, 2025

Referee Anthony Taylor seemed hesitant at first, but eventually awarded the spot-kick. The home team rallied and confidently scored a penalty to equalize.

Brighton then went close to taking the lead when Yankuba Minteh’s shot-cum-cross narrowly eluded the onrushing Kaoru Mitoma.

It proved to be the last decent chance in a game that was surprisingly easy on the clear ones.