- William Saliba was sanctioned after touching Joao Pedro's head
- Arsenal are now five points behind Liverpool, who have two games in hand
- LISTEN NOW: It's all starting! New line-up, some new faces, but optimism has faded at Old Trafford
Mikel Arteta described Joao Pedro's equalizing penalty as a decision he has “never” seen in his career and lamented a “disappointing” decision that has dented Arsenal's title hopes.
Around the hour mark, Pedro had thrown the ball up and William Saliba, attempting to head the ball, made contact with the Brazilian's head.
The foul was checked and confirmed by VAR, which deemed there was enough contact to award a penalty, which Pedro scored for Brighton, disallowing 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri's goal in the first half.
The north London club, who have drawn three in their last six league games, are now five points behind leaders Liverpool, who have two games in hand. The Reds face Manchester United this afternoon.
Arteta said: 'It is a very disappointing decision.
“I have never seen a decision like this in my career. I asked the boys if they had seen it and no one had seen it before. When you look at the incident, the distance, the player, Joao touching the ball and then Saliba touching the ball, you can see the contact there.
Mikel Arteta described Joao Pedro's tying penalty as a decision he has 'never' seen
William Saliba was deemed to have fouled Pedro when he accidentally headbutted the striker.
Arsenal's title hopes have been dented after Saturday's 1-1 draw against the Seagulls.
'I checked it (with the officials). After three seconds they said they had already checked. It seems fast.
Pedro has already scored home and away against Arsenal this season.
On whether the Gunners need a signing in January, Arteta added: “We can't make a decision based on a one-day performance with a lot of circumstances, not just the players we lost but the fact that we had to remove Ethan.” “Hopefully on Tuesday we will be in a better position.”
Arteta also received a new blow with the injury of Nwaneri, who suffered “muscle problems.”
The 17-year-old goalscorer, making his second consecutive league appearance for Arsenal, had to be hauled off at half-time.
Nwaneri played on the right wing, which has been a difficult area for Arteta of late following Bukayo Saka's hamstring injury.
Arteta now has to rethink his plan once again.
He said: “It's really bad news because I think we've lost him (Nwaneri), we had to take him off at half-time because of some muscle problems.”
