3 positives and negatives from Arsenal's hard-fought draw against Brighton

Arsenal held on to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates against Brighton, but many aspects of the game strayed far from the Gunners' favour.

A crisp lob from Kai Havertz opened the scoring for Arsenal, helping them grasp the lead before a half-time break but a controversial second yellow to Declan Rice saw the Englishman dismissed early into the second half.

From then on, Brighton's onslaught commenced, as Arteta initiated his emergency defensive protocols, particularly utilising newcomer Riccardo Calafiori, as a fifth defender to shore up the backline.

Fortunately, the Gunners held on well, and even managed to squeeze a few late opportunities to score. But many things did not go to plan in the fixture, and Arsenal fans will feel hard done following this clash.

Positive #1 - Havertz and Saka combine...again

The newly-formed duo of Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka has grown into the centre-piece of the Arsenal attack, and the two have combined on three occasions this season, including once against Brighton. Saka brought the ball tidily down and nipped around Lewis Dunk before teeing up Kai Havertz in space, who unleashed an audacious chip over a helpless Verbruggen.

For Havertz, it proved that Arsenal may not yet be in dire need of a center-forward, and for Saka, it's quite simply more of what is pleasantly expected. Long may the partnership continue.

Negative #1 - Rice suspended for Spurs

In what could quite easily be the most controversial decision of the weekend, and perhaps the season so far, Rice saw a second yellow for an innocent nudge of the ball out of play after Brighton were awarded a free-kick. Understandably, the slight nudge may still warrant a booking according to the rulebook, as frustrating as it may be.

Except, to make matters worse, Joao Pedro returned later in the game with a similar, but more powerful, poke which travelled halfway across the pitch, despite the ball evidently having gone out of play for an Arsenal throw-in prior. Yet, the referee seemingly opted to keep his cards pocketed on this occasion.

Ultimately, Rice is out of selection for the crucial away trip to Tottenham first thing back from the upcoming international break. Mikel Arteta faces a selection conundrum, as his latest midfield signing in Mikel Merino is also out injured. Could we see Kai Havertz return to the number eight? Ideally not, but it may be the best pick from a relatively bad bunch of options.

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