Brighton deals Arsenal a blow in the title race
Arsenal missed the chance to go within three points of Premier League leader Liverpool as Joao Pedro's controversial second-half penalty saw the Gunners held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton and Hove Albion.
Just as he did in a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in August, Joao Pedro netted in the second half to deny the Gunners all three points at Amex Stadium.
Teenager Ethan Nwaneri put Arsenal ahead in the 16th minute with a fine solo effort, racing down the right to bend a low finish under Bart Verbruggen into the far corner.
However, Brighton upped the pressure and Joao Pedro won the spot-kick after being caught by William Saliba, who was attempting to head the ball clear, before coolly bending it into the back of the net.
The Seagulls pushed for a late winner, with Yankuba Minteh coming closest as his low shot flashed across the face of goal, and Kaoru Mitoma could not get a decisive touch to poke the ball home.
Arsenal dug in deep to at least ensure its unbeaten streak in the league stretched to 10 matches, and it now sits in second five points behind Liverpool, while Brighton is 10th.
But Gunners coach Mikel Arteta was more focused on what he felt was an unfair penalty decision against his side.
"We’re very disappointed with the penalty," he said.
"I've never seen that in my life – and Saliba touches the ball. [It wasn't one] for me, no."
The Spaniard conceded that despite the decision, his side did not offer enough of an attacking threat throughout the match.
"We're playing every three days. I understand how much we want to [win], but in terms of the quality and the consistency and doing the simple things right against a competitive team, we didn't do enough today," he said.
Liverpool now has the opportunity to extend its advantage at the top to eight points with victory over Manchester United on Monday (AEDT).
"We wanted to win and we weren't able to do that," Arteta, whose team faces Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, Manc=hester United in the FA Cup and Tottenham Hotspur in the league in its next three outings, said.
"We're very disappointed with the [penalty] decision. Other than that, we'll try to improve and prepare for our next game."
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler believes his side is still yet to play to its full potential this season as its winless run stretched to eight league games.
"I feel like I have to repeat myself all the time, which is a disappointing feeling. In the first half we weren't as intense as we wanted to be," he said.
"The game we want to play is intense, [we want to] press high. If you want to attack the box, you need to invest in deep runs. We're not where we should be, but it's a process."
However, Hurzeler still praised his side for a marked improvement in the second half.
"After the goal it was much better. The big word for us is consistency," he added.
"When we look at Arsenal's chances, they had one [big opportunity] during the game."
