Brighton 1 Arsenal 1: Gunners suffer major blow in Premier League title race after William Saliba gives away penalty
TEENAGE dreams – but for Arsenal, more title agony.
Ethan Nwaneri, 17, became the first Gunners player to score multiple Prem goals before his 18th birthday with a fine 16th minute finish in a brutally cold south coast clash.
But from there, Mikel Arteta watched his side’s performance – and their chances of catching league leaders Liverpool – slip away at the Amex following Joao Pedro’s 61st minute penalty.
Back in August, the Seagulls nicked two points off Arsenal at the Emirates in a highly controversial 1-1 draw that saw Declan Rice sent off by referee Chris Kavanagh for ‘delaying the restart’.
And yet more dropped points against Fabian Hurzeler’s men will leave Arteta just as seething – especially as Brighton striker Pedro avoided a ban last week for swinging an elbow at Brentford’s Yehor Yarmolyuk.
William Saliba’s head contact with Pedro in the box appeared to be a fair challenge until ref Anthony Taylor made a potentially title-defining decision.
It leaves Arsenal five points off Arne Slot’s Reds having played TWO games more. The North Londoners truly need something special to happen to claw this back.
Brighton meanwhile continue to reign as kings of level-pegging – winless now in their last eight Prem games but in six of them they have won a point, with 10 draws in total this term.
Nwaneri earned a second successive Prem start, but there were changes around him.
Rice, Jorginho and Leandro Trossard started while Thomas Partey was at right back in place of the suspended Jurrien Timber.
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Despite suggesting he was now well enough to feature, Arteta left Kai Havertz out yet again after the German missed the 3-1 victory at Brentford with a sickness bug.
Skipper Martin Odegaard featured against the Bees despite also suffering from the illness, so sat on the bench for this one, alongside Gabriel Martinelli.
Rotation is the name of the game for Arteta with nine games in four different competitions to contend with this month.
Yet the significance of this one could not be overstated, needing to pile some form of pressure on leaders Liverpool with Prem bouts coming thick and fast in the New Year.
Arsenal were back in their bold black strip, one that Arteta likes. The Spaniard believes it strikes fear into opposition players on their own patch, and the Gunners began menacingly.
For all the changes in personnel, the visitors were sharp and silky on the ball with Trossard at the heart of it, serenaded by a chorus of boos on his old stomping ground.
In-form Brazilian Gabriel Jesus was then slipped in by a crafty Jorginho pick-out.
He may have six in his last four in all competitions, but Jesus’ shot was blocked by the legs of Bart Verbruggen before the offside flag was raised.
Arsenal were comfortable, but so were Brighton, galloping off on the occasional counter before retreating back in a hurry.
With Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel watching on, a spark was needed, and Arsenal got it from their two Englishmen Rice and Nwaneri, combining with some lovely, fluid runs down the right.
https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1875600423198867903Nwaneri then popped up in space, found by Mikel Merino, driving towards goal and scurrying a finish under the body of Verbruggen.
It was his fifth goal so far this term, and now just the sixth player to score more than once in the Prem before turning 18, alongside the likes of Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and James Milner.
If anyone had any doubts over whether this kid is ready for the big time, they have been silenced for good it seems.
And what a time to do it with Tuchel watching on. The Enfield-born Hale End prodigy has plied his trade in the U16s, U17s and U19s for England so far. Is another step up now on the cards?
Arsenal looked relieved to have found the opener, but then became nervy. David Raya came to the rescue as Jorginho fluffed an overhead kick in his own box.
Brighton sensed an opening. Simon Adingra blazed over a glorious chance after another sloppy bit of play from Jorginho.
With the game turning gritty, Arsenal turned to their corner prowess, but their opponents had done their homework. Gabriel was double-teamed and then hauled to the ground by Matt O’Riley.
It was from another corner that youngling Nwaneri picked up a yellow card for timewasting, the dark arts not going unpunished this time.
It is likely why Arteta subbed off his goal scorer at the break for Martinelli, not that it swung momentum back Arsenal’s way. If anything, the opposite.
A messy performance bit them on the backside in the 59th minute as Saliba’s head made contact with that of Joao Pedro’s. Anthony Taylor took a long look at it before pointing to the spot.
VAR deemed “sufficient contact” had been made. Arteta disagreed. Either way, it resulted in Pedro sending Raya the wrong way in front of a jubilant home support.
Desperation crept in. Odegaard was flung on to seize the moment, no matter how worse for wear he felt, but it was Brighton pushing with intent, as if they were the ones chasing the title.
Adingra should have converted with a pulsating run and ball across goal. Kaoru Mitoma was inches away from tapping in at the far post.
A few wasted free-kicks later, Arsenal trudged off with defeat in their mouths. Next week’s Carabao Cup semi-final suddenly feels very big.