Both Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion displayed resiliency to preserve their undefeated records as their match ended in a 1-1 draw. With a well-placed goal in the first half, Kai Havertz gave Arsenal the lead. Nevertheless, Brighton rallied in the second half, with Joao Pedro securing an equalizer.
There was a lot of conjecture ahead of the game about Arsenal possibly acquiring striker Ivan Toney on transfer deadline day. Toney ultimately decided to join Al-Ahli despite the rumors, depriving Arsenal of the new forward that many supporters had hoped for. But Kai Havertz rose to the occasion, netting his team’s second goal of the Premier League campaign and dispelling doubters who thought Arsenal was in dire need of a new striker.
Arsenal had some worries about the game, though. One of the Gunners’ most important players, Martin Odegaard, was hurt in the first half. He kept playing, but there are questions about how fit he is, so things might need to be watched carefully. Due to a lack of options, Ethan Nwaneri, an extremely inexperienced player, is Arsenal’s only backup, which may be reason for concern in the upcoming games.
Additionally, the game proved to be highly contentious, partly because of some dubious calls made by referee Chris Kavanagh. The moment Declan Rice was sent off for a second yellow card was one of the most controversial ones. Joel Veltman of Brighton was the target of the first yellow card, which was given for a challenge, but the second was for allegedly kicking the ball away to stop play.
But the harshness of this decision seemed overwhelming. Veltman kicked through Rice, who hardly made contact with the ball, which was already at his feet. While Rice did very little wrong, many feel that Veltman should have been sent off for his aggressive play. Both fans and commentators have debated the incident; many contend that referees should penalize players who purposefully waste time, but Rice’s actions did not call for such a harsh penalty.
Even though Arsenal finished the game with a point, they still have some problems to resolve regarding player fitness and the ongoing controversy surrounding the refereeing calls.
