January 5th 2025.
On Saturday at the Amex, Brighton and Arsenal faced off in a tense match that ended in a 1-1 draw. The result was largely due to an unusual penalty call in favor of Brighton, thanks to 17-year-old Joao Pedro. According to Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, the team was left feeling sad and frustrated after the game.
In the early moments of the match, Arsenal took the lead with a goal from Ethan Nwaneri. However, their momentum was quickly halted when Pedro was awarded a penalty after a collision with Arsenal defender William Saliba. Pedro had nodded the ball in the penalty area, causing Saliba to mistime his challenge and accidentally hit Pedro's face with his forehead. Despite the unusual situation, the referee deemed it a legitimate penalty, leading to the end of scoring for the rest of the game.
Partey acknowledged the team's disappointment, but also looked for the positives in the situation. "It's not an easy game against a good side," he said. "To win here, you have to be perfect." He and his teammates will have to put this result behind them and continue working hard for their next game.
Manager Mikel Arteta also shared his thoughts on the game, noting that his team's performance dropped in the second half. "We started the game well," he said, "but in the second half, we dropped our standards." This led to Arsenal struggling to generate momentum and go for a second goal. Despite not conceding much, a crucial moment in the game resulted in a disappointing penalty call against the team.
Arteta also expressed disbelief at the decision, stating that he had never seen anything like it in his career. He asked his players if they had, and they all agreed that it was a strange call. Although there was contact between Saliba and Pedro, Arteta believed that it was unintentional and not worthy of a penalty. However, the result stands and Arsenal now have to move on from this setback.
Despite the draw, Arsenal remains in second place in the Premier League, five points behind leaders Liverpool. They will have to regroup and continue fighting for points in the upcoming matches. Next up, Liverpool will face off against Manchester United, and Arsenal will be keeping a close eye on the result.
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