Arsenal 1-1 Brighton Stats: 10-man Gunners Battle to Draw After Declan Rice’s First Ever Red Card

Check out the best facts, stats and live Opta data from this Premier League match at the Emirates as both Arsenal and Brighton drop points for the first time this season.

Title hopefuls Arsenal slipped up for the first time in 2024-25, dropping two points at home to Brighton as Declan Rice received the first red card of his senior career.

Rice was given two yellow cards either side of half-time, the first for an uncharacteristically loose lunge on Joël Veltman and the second – rather more controversially – for kicking the ball away as Veltman tried to take a free-kick. In the 363rd game of his senior career for either club or country, it was Rice’s first ever red card.

The hosts had looked on course to make it three wins from three after Kai Havertz put them in front seven minutes before half-time but the red card rocked them shortly after the break, and João Pedro scored an equaliser on the hour mark.

It was also the first time Fabian Hürzeler’s side had dropped points this season, meaning that only two 100% records remain in the Premier League this season – for Liverpool and Manchester City.

Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Arsenal vs Brighton stats from their Premier League meeting at the Emirates.

The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own post-match analysis.

Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well. 

Arsenal vs Brighton: Post-Match Facts

• Since Boxing Day 2019 – Mikel Arteta’s first game in charge of Arsenal – the Gunners have been shown 16 red cards in the Premier League, at least three more than any other side. In what was his 245th Premier League appearance, Arsenal’s Declan Rice was shown his first red card in the competition.
• Brighton recorded 63.7% of the possession against Arsenal – the most by any away team in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium since Manchester City in January 2022 (71.2%- Arsenal also reduced to 10 men in that game), while the Seagulls’ 22 attempts on goal were the most the Gunners have faced in a home league game since August 2021 against Chelsea (also 22).
• This was the first time Arsenal have failed to win a Premier League game having led at half time since a 2-2 draw with West Ham in April 2023, having won each of their previous 22 such matches prior to today.
• Brighton have remained unbeaten in their opening three games of a top-flight season for just a second time, previously doing so in 2022-23 (W2 D1 on both occasions).
• Kai Havertz’s opener for Arsenal was his 34th Premier League goal overall but his first from outside of the box, with his previous strike from distance in league competition coming for Bayer 04 Leverkusen against Hertha BSC in the Bundesliga back in May 2017.
• Arsenal forward Kai Havertz has scored in each of his last four Premier League appearances against Brighton, while his five goal involvements against the Seagulls are the most he has against an opponent in the competition (4 goals, 1 assist).
• Bukayo Saka became the first Arsenal player to provide an assist in each of the first three games of a Premier League season since Thierry Henry in 2004-05.

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