Football
Arsenal Suffer Blow In Premier League Title Race As Joao Pedro’s Spot-Kick Rescues A Point For Brighton In 1-1 Draw
After graduating from Kingston University with an upper second-class Honours degree, I learned the ropes in sports journalism starting at Sports Mole before making my way through the ranks at the MailOnline. I started initially as a freelancer before going on to become an assistant sports editor in seven years at the company. Love football, cursed by Spurs and you can catch me watching/falling asleep to the F1 while hungover on a Sunday.
Get to know Sam McEvoy betterPublished04 Jan 2025
Joao Pedro’s spot-kick saw Brighton come from behind to secure a point in their 1-1 draw with Arsenal – and you can watch the highlights below.
Joao Pedro Spot On For Brighton In Draw With Arsenal
Arsenal came into the Liverpool to just two points with a win against Brighton.
And with the title hunt on the mind, it looked as if Arsenal would do just that, given it took just 16 minutes to make the breakthrough. Ethan Nwaneri picked up the ball on the right before cutting into the box to bend the ball into the far bottom corner.
The goal saw the 17-year-old make Premier League history for Arsenal, becoming the first player to score more than one league goal before turning 18 for the club.
Mikel Arteta’s side struggled to take advantage of their lead going into the break with the hosts keeping them to limited shots on goal.
And Brighton made them pay on the hour-mark when Joao Pedro won Brighton a penalty. The Brazilian was awarded the spot-kick after flicking the ball up into the air before William Saliba contested him for the ball but ended up headbutting the Brighton star.
Pedro stepped up to take the spot-kick he won and cooly sent David Raya the wrong way to make it 1-1.
The momentum had now swung in the Seagulls’ favour and they nearly got another goal just 14 minutes from time. Yankuba Minteh managed to break the Arsenal line and darted towards goal but his shot whistled past the back post with no Brighton player able to get a foot on it.
Both sides pushed for a winner but had to share the spoils for the second time this season, replicating their 1-1 draw in this season’s reverse fixture.
The Gunners are now five points behind Liverpool, having played two more games than Arne Slot’s side.
WATCH: Brighton 1-1 Arsenal Highlights
Brighton return to Premier League action on Thursday, January 16 when they make the trip to Suffolk to face Ipswich Town.
The Gunners on the other hand will face fierce rivals Tottenham in their next Premier League game, with the two sides meeting a day earlier on Wednesday, January 15.
Both sides will feature in the FA Cup third round next weekend.