Brighton & Hove Albion in action against Arsenal.
Image via @OfficialBHAFC
Arsenal failed to make up ground on Premier League leaders Liverpool after playing to a 1-1 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Premier League
Result: Brighton and Hove Albion 1-1 Arsenal
Date: 04 January 2025
Venue: AMEX Stadium
Gunners coach Mikel Arteta made three changes from the win over Brentford as Jorginho and Leandro Trossard replaced Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli, while Declan Rice came in for the suspended Jurrien Timber.
The visiting side made the early inquests and were eventually rewarded on 15 minutes when 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri surged towards the box before calmly slotting into the bottom corner.
Brighton, meanwhile, were not overrun by the slow start and managed to see a bit of the ball themselves but they had to wait until the 34th minute for a chance when Matt O’Reily did well to tee up Simon Adingra, who scuffed his strike from close range.
That was as good as it got for the Seagulls in the first half, as Arteta’s dominated the possession and restricted their opponents for the final ten minutes.
However, the home side were awarded a penalty in the 68th minute after William Saliba’s foul on Joao Pedro, who dusted himself off to calmly slot home the penalty.
Gunners coach Arteta then responded by introducing Odegaard for Jorginho to add to the attacking numbers, while Brighton withdrew Igor Julio due to injury and brought on Adam Webster.
Even with the introduction of Odegaard, the North London outfit found it tough to carve out any chances as they had to settle for a draw, leaving the side five points behind Liverpool, who have played two games less.
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