Brighton on Saturday capitalized on Declan Rice’s dismissal to secure a 1-1 draw at Arsenal in their Premier League clash.
Arsenal had a 1-0 advantage when Rice was controversially sent off early in the second half.
The incident occurred in the 49th minute when Rice was shown a second yellow card for allegedly moving the ball aside as Joel Veltman attempted a quick free kick near the sideline in Brighton’s half.
Veltman, in the process, kicked Rice from behind, prompting the home crowd to demand a penalty against the Brighton player. Instead, referee Chris Kavanagh issued a red card to Rice.
The game shifted dramatically with the numerical advantage, and Brighton equalized in the 58th minute.
Joao Pedro pounced on a rebound after Arsenal’s goalkeeper David Raya had initially saved Yankuba Minteh’s effort.
Arsenal had taken the lead in the 38th minute thanks to a deft lob from Kai Havertz over Brighton’s goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. Havertz later had an opportunity to restore Arsenal’s lead in the 74th minute but saw his low shot saved.
Both Brighton and Arsenal had won their first two league games, making the draw a missed chance for Arsenal.
The result opens the door for Manchester City to potentially overtake Arsenal at the top of the standings if they win their away game against West Ham in the late kickoff on Saturday.
Liverpool, who also secured six points from their initial matches, is set to face Manchester United on Sunday, adding further intrigue to the top of the table race.
