EPL: Rice Sent Off as Brighton Holds Arsenal to a Draw

A clumsy red card for Declan Rice cost Arsenal two crucial points at the top of the table as Brighton fought back to secure a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal dominated the first half, with Martin Odegaard missing a prime opportunity to put the Gunners ahead. However, Bukayo Saka’s brilliant play led to Kai Havertz chipping Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen for the opening goal.

The match took a turn when Yankuba Minteh broke through on goal, forcing David Raya to make a save. Unfortunately for Arsenal, Joao Pedro was quick to capitalize on the rebound, leveling the score for Brighton.

Brighton kept Arsenal under pressure for much of the second half, but the game soon turned into a thrilling end-to-end contest. Havertz’s one-on-one effort on the counter was saved by Verbruggen, with Saka’s follow-up blocked. At the other end, Raya made a crucial save from substitute Yasin Ayari to keep Arsenal in the game.

As the match continued, Havertz set up Saka during another counter-attack, but Verbruggen once again denied Arsenal. Despite having the numerical advantage, Brighton struggled to capitalize, with Georginio Rutter and Carlos Baleba both firing over the bar.