Mikel Arteta's men looked good value for a first-half advantage at the break, Kai Havertz darting onto Bukayo Saka's through ball and lobbing the ball over the goalkeeper.
Sadly, the game changed in the second half when Declan Rice was sent off in controversial circumstances.
Havertz-Saka-Arsenal
It was a moment in the game that totally changed the momentum. At one stage, the Seagulls were enjoying 81% of the ball over a five-minute period and left north London with a point thanks to Joao Pedro's neat finish from close range.
Still, Arsenal could have won the game. Havertz had a wonderful opportunity in the second half but was denied by Bart Verbruggen before the German turned provider, whipping the ball into Saka who couldn't quite get his feet in the right order and he was denied by the Brighton goalkeeper again.
In all, the Premier League title challengers did well to pick up a point but they will be ruing that incident with Rice in the second half.
Why Rice was sent off
In the first half, the club's record signing was given a booking for a strong challenge. Rice slid in, won none of the ball and was rightfully given a caution.
Whether he was rightfully given a second yellow, however, is up for debate.
Declan-Rice-red-card
The former West Ham man had a coming together with Joel Veltman on the left-hand side of the pitch and in Brighton's desperation to take the set play quickly from deep within their own half, Rice stopped them from doing so.
Veltman kicked out, Rice nudged the ball away and chaos ensued. By the letter of the law, the £105m man was rightfully sent off. What will specifically frustrate the Gunners is the lack of consistency.
In the opening 45 minutes Pedro also kicked the ball away, and at a far greater distance than Rice. Was he cautioned? No, he wasn't.
Odegaard-Rice-Arsenal-Brighton
So, once all was said and done, Arsenal were forced to finish the clash with ten men and Rice will now miss a vital away clash against Tottenham after the international break.
Who is set to replace Rice against Spurs
This red is a bitter pill to swallow for those of an Arsenal persuasion. Away at Spurs, Rice would be vital but he won't be available. Nor will Mikel Merino.
Cruelly, he was injured in his very first full training session with the squad. Gabriel reportedly landed him on which caused a shoulder injury that will disrupt the Spaniard's first few weeks in the capital.
Merino-Arsenal
As a result, it's likely Jorginho will come into the team and partner Thomas Partey. However, once Rice is back and Merino is up to full speed, the Ghanaian simply has to be dropped to the bench.
His performance against Brighton, although not abysmal, showcased why. In truth, Partey hasn't started the season awfully either. He did, after all, score that important goal against Aston Villa a week ago.
Partey-Arsenal-Brighton
The trouble is that his lack of athleticism hurts this Arsenal side, as does his lacklustre giveaways of possession.
Against Brighton he played some nice passes, notably into Saka on the right-hand side but in tight spaces inside their own half, he found it difficult to evade Brighton's press and was guilty of ceding possession.
Partey vs Brighton
Minutes played
90
Touches
39
Accurate passes
19/25 (76%)
Key passes
0
Crosses
0
Long balls
3/5
Dribbles
1/1
Aerial duels won
1/1
Ground duels won
3/8
Possession lost
7x
Fouls
2
Tackles
1
Interceptions
5
Stats via Sofascore.
Partey did so on seven occasions throughout the match, once every 5.5 touches of the ball. From a player in his position, you would surely expect better. Handed a 5/10 match rating by GOAL's Charles Watts, the reporter summed up his display aptly: "Struggled in possession. Made some good recovery tackles, but was slack with the ball at times."
That was summed up by a pass success rate of 76%. It's not great at all but it was a tally that ended up being the third-best on Arsenal's team. That's a rather alarming statistic for a side that love to keep possession.
Arsenal's starting XI: Pass success %
Player
Touches
Pass accuracy
Raya
52
46%
White
46
76%
Saliba
61
94%
Gabriel
46
94%
Timber
30
67%
Partey
39
76%
Rice
21
100%
Odegaard
28
47%
Saka
51
57%
Trossard
26
64%
Havertz
29
83%
To make matters worse, the 31-year-old only won three of his eight duels. On that evidence, it's no surprise Merino has been brought in. He won more duels than any other player in Europe's top five leagues in 2023/24.
So, while Partey will have to stick around for the trip to Tottenham in a fortnight, barring a remarkable display there, he must be taken out of the side long-term.
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