On the evening of August 31 (Vietnam time), Arsenal hosted Brighton in round 3 of the Premier League.
Brighton were in good form when they visited the Emirates, with two wins since the start of the tournament. However, in this match, they encountered many difficulties in the first half. Mitoma and his teammates only created a few shots but they were not dangerous.
Arsenal controlled the ball more than their opponents. They played slowly, not aggressively, but still knew how to exploit the opponent's weaknesses. In the 38th minute, Saka skillfully held Lewis Dunk, before passing the ball to Kai Havertz. The German striker finished skillfully, defeating the away team's goalkeeper, helping the home team take a 1-0 lead.
This was Kai Havertz's third goal in three consecutive Premier League games against Brighton. Saka set a record as the first player to have three assists in the opening three games of a season since the 2004-2005 season. Previously, Saka had provided assists for teammates when Arsenal beat Wolves and Aston Villa.
Having a favorable position, Arsenal made things difficult for themselves when they lost a player in the 48th minute. Declan Rice was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for deliberately delaying the ball into play.
With an extra man, Brighton immediately put pressure on the home team. Brighton's efforts were soon rewarded. After Lewis Dunk's through pass, Minteh finished with a tricky shot, forcing David Raya to push the ball away. Immediately, Joao Pedro came on to equalize 1-1.
In the remaining time of the match, both teams had good chances to score more goals. Arsenal had 2 close-range shots from Havertz and Saka but both failed to beat goalkeeper Verbruggen. On Arsenal's side, David Raya also had a spectacular save after Yasin Ayari's shot.
In the end, Arsenal drew 1-1 with Brighton. The result helped both teams have 7 points after 3 rounds in the Premier League.
