A second-half goal from Joao Pedro helped Brighton secure a 1-1 draw against Arsenal after Declan Rice was sent off in an eventful Premier League match in north London.
Arsenal seemed poised to maintain their perfect start to the season when Bukayo Saka's pass found Kai Havertz, who expertly lobbed Brighton's goalkeeper, Bart Verbruggen, to give the Gunners a 38th-minute lead.
However, the game took a dramatic turn early in the second half when Declan Rice was shown a second yellow card for delaying a free-kick, reducing Arsenal to ten men. Despite the controversial nature of the decision, with Joel Veltman escaping punishment himself, the Gunners were left to defend their lead with a man down.
Brighton capitalized on the numerical advantage and leveled the match in the 58th minute. Yankuba Minteh's shot was saved by David Raya, but the rebound fell to Joao Pedro, who calmly slotted the ball under the keeper to make it 1-1.
Arsenal had a golden opportunity to reclaim the lead when Kai Havertz found himself one-on-one with Verbruggen, but the Brighton goalkeeper was equal to the task. In the closing stages, Brighton's substitute Yasin Ayari forced a save from Raya as the Seagulls pushed for a winner.
Brighton introduced their new £39.5 million signing, Georginio Rutter, in search of a decisive goal, but the striker's mistimed header summed up a frustrating evening for the visitors, as both sides ultimately had to settle for a point.
