Thanks to a goal from Kai Havertz, Arsenal led 1-0 at the half at the Emirates Stadium and looked to be in control. In contrast, Brighton had not been able to muster any significant opportunities, managing only 0.08 expected goals (xG) and not managing to muster a single shot on goal in the first half.
However, after just four minutes of play in the second half, the game’s momentum drastically changed. Declan Rice was given his second yellow card for kicking the ball away to delay the restart and deny Brighton’s Joel Veltman a short free-kick.
Brighton quickly found an equalizer as they started to take control of the game thanks to their numerical advantage. They kept up the pressure on Arsenal and created multiple more chances to win, but in the end, they were unable to secure all three points.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta spoke about his frustration in an interview with BBC Match of the Day following the game. Both during the 11-on-11 match and even after they were down to 10 men, he thought his team had done enough to win. In summary, both in the 11 vs 11 and 11 v 10 games, we were entitled to victory. We dropped two points,” Arteta said.
In addition, Arteta demanded more impartial refereeing, pointing out that although Rice’s booking complied with the law in theory, the decision seemed unfair given the situation. Veltman attempted to take the free kick while the ball was still moving. Many Arsenal supporters pointed out that Brighton’s Joao Pedro had escaped a booking for a similar, if not more obvious, infraction earlier in the game. Less than ten minutes after Rice was sent off, Pedro scored Brighton’s equalizer, compounding the injury.
Arteta expressed his dissatisfaction at Rice’s firing without holding back when questioned. He exclaimed, “I was amazed.” “When the opponents did that in the first half, they were not given a booking. When the ball hits the heel while turning around, he is required by law to make the call in a non-critical area of the pitch. He can do it legally as long as he is consistent. In that scenario, they ought to have sent a man off, and the match would have been 10 vs 10.
Despite being reduced to 10 players, Arteta commended both the team and the fans for their perseverance and pointed out that Arsenal had two excellent opportunities to win the match that they should have taken.
