First red card of his career for the midfielder, and the Gunners concede the equalizer: it ends 1-1. Good performance from Calafiori in the second half.
In their third match, Arsenal is already faltering. Declan Rice chooses the match against Brighton, his 245th in the Premier League, to receive the first red card of his career in the league, and the Gunners are held to a 1-1 draw by the second team that spent the most money (235 million) during the summer transfer window. They held on throughout the second half with one man down, partly thanks to Riccardo Calafiori, a substitution after the red that Arteta could not make before conceding the equalizer. Brighton confirms its status as a good team even with Hurzeler on the bench, but Arsenal, while not outstanding in the first half, had given a clear impression of superiority, completely erased by the timid performance of the second half. The Gunners and Brighton continue neck and neck in the standings, now both with 7 points.
the keys
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The expulsion of Rice changed everything. The second half started with 4 minutes in when the midfielder, booked in the first half, pulls Veltman, convincing the referee to whistle. The Brighton defender wants to restart quickly, but ends up kicking Rice who passes in front of him: the match official penalizes the Arsenal player “for delaying the restart of the game,” as confirmed on social media by the Premier League on their profile where they explain VAR decisions in almost real-time. The Emirates crowd does not appreciate, especially since Arsenal concedes the equalizer before Arteta can make any changes. The five-man defense that the Gunners switch to at the 58th minute, when Calafiori enters (first as left-back, then central when Timber gets injured at the 80th, replaced by Zinchenko), is an invitation to suffer and to let the opponents play, although on counterattacks the Gunners had at least two good chances to regain the lead, which they fail to exploit. Arteta will have the entire break to figure out what went wrong because the team that had given such a clear impression of superiority in the first half (Havertz’s goal at 38′, but also Saka’s irresistible bursts on the right and control of the game) spent the whole second half on the ropes, altering their approach to thinking first about defending instead of building as usual. Atalanta, the Gunners’ first opponents in the Champions League on Thursday, September 19 in Bergamo, should take note.
the match
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Arsenal ends the first half ahead, controlling the game well, with their superiority materializing at the 38th minute when Havertz anticipates the exit of Verbruggen and slots in his second goal of the season. Arsenal starts the second half leading 1-0, but at the 4th minute loses Rice, sent off for a second yellow card, and concedes the equalizer at the 58th from João Pedro (who cleverly intercepts the rebound from a short clearance by Raya on Welbeck) before Arteta can reorganize. He does this by introducing Calafiori, a left-back in a restructured five-man defense that leaves control of the match to Brighton and hopes for Arsenal left to counterattack. Havertz and Saka waste a couple of clear chances, with Verbruggen as the seagulls’ bulwark, but Raya also has to shine shortly after the half-hour mark to avoid conceding. The 1-1 draw in the end is the fairest result for what was seen on the field. If Arsenal wants to be perfect to win the Premier League, however, this match is a manifesto of what they must avoid. Starting with Rice’s expulsion, which heavily influenced the game.
the other matches
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In the afternoon, the other matches of the third day took place. The clashes between Ipswich and Fulham and between Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton ended in draws, both at 1-1. Brentford defeated Southampton at home 3-1, achieving their second victory in the league, while the visitors remain stuck on zero points. A surprising comeback victory for Bournemouth on Everton’s ground: everything happened in the second half after the home side had a two-goal advantage, with Semenyo, Cook, and Sinisterra scoring in the last 5 minutes, granting a dramatic 3 points for the visitors. Aston Villa wins 2-1 at Leicester, with Okoli starting in the Foxes’ defense after responding to national team coach Spalletti’s first call-up.