Arsenal traveled to the Amex Stadium looking to extend an impressive winning run, but they found Brighton & Hove Albion in determined form as the two sides played out a tense, goalless opening period in their Premier League clash.
Mikel Arteta's side arrived on the south coast having won seven consecutive matches across three competitions, including victories over Napoli, Sunderland and Ipswich in the space of just ten days. The Arsenal manager made several changes to his starting lineup, recalling David Raya, Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, all of whom had been given a rest during the midweek Carabao Cup victory. Jurrien Timber was also handed his first start of the campaign, while Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera were unavailable for selection.
Brighton, under the guidance of Fabian Hurzeler, went into the match with confidence following a comprehensive win over Coventry and a dramatic Carabao Cup victory over Manchester United, in which they recovered from two goals down. The German coach had also addressed his ongoing rivalry with Arteta in the buildup, insisting he had no regrets over previous remarks about the Arsenal boss.
The early stages of the contest were scrappy, with Arsenal struggling to establish any rhythm. Raya was guilty of some loose distribution in the opening minutes, at one point gifting possession directly to Brighton's Ayari in a dangerous area, though Declan Rice recovered well to snuff out the danger before it could develop into a clear opportunity.
Brighton looked lively whenever they pressed high, and Kostoulas tested Raya in the seventh minute after another Arsenal turnover, forcing a fingertip save that was pushed behind for a corner. Raya then made amends for his earlier error with a vital block inside his own box moments later.
As the half progressed, Arsenal gradually began to find their footing. Saka started to cause problems down the right-hand side against Boscagli, and in the 18th minute a long ball forward from Raya nearly released the winger, only for the Brighton defender to make a crucial intervention at the last second. From the resulting passage of play, Guimaraes fired into the side netting despite having Tzolis unmarked at the back post.
Arsenal's best chance of the half arrived in the 20th minute when Saka reached the byline and delivered a dangerous cross into the area. Calafiori rose to meet it but saw his header blocked, and Tzolis was unable to react quickly enough to convert the loose ball.
There was a brief moment of controversy just before the half-hour mark when Saka went down in the penalty area under a challenge, appealing for a spot-kick, but the referee waved away the claims. The incident followed a promising run from Tzolis down the left flank, who lost his footing at a crucial moment.
Gabriel was also shown leniency after conceding a free-kick for a foul on Kostoulas, though the set-piece delivery came to nothing as Timber cleared comfortably at the back post.
With the game still finely poised, Arsenal began to see more of the ball as the half wore on, pushing to find a breakthrough that had so far eluded both sides at the Amex Stadium.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport.