Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori expressed his disappointment following the 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday. The Seagulls came from behind to claim a point in their Premier League clash at the Amex Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s men took the lead in the 16th minute thanks to an excellent goal from Ethan Nwaneri. However, in the 60th minute, William Saliba was adjudged to have fouled Joao Pedro in the area. The Brazilian center forward converted the resulting penalty. Brighton created multiple chances after that but failed to find the winner.
After the game, Calafiori shared his opinion on the game and said (via Tribal football):
“You can see in my expression that I am frustrated and disappointed. Surely we could have done better. The good thing is that we have another game in two or three days and we are already thinking about it.
“The first 25 minutes were how Arsenal should play and then we couldn’t dominate the game. Starting tomorrow we will forget about this game and think about the next one. The season is very long.”
The Gunners remained second in the Premier League standings, five points behind Liverpool, who have played two fewer games.
Mikel Arteta on the January transfer window after Arsenal’s draw against Brighton
The Gunners are already without Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling due to injury and also appear to have lost Ethan Nwaneri on Saturday. Manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that the 17-year-old had a muscle problem, which led to his substitution at half-time.
After the game against Brighton, Mikel Arteta was asked if Arsenal need to sign new players in the current transfer window. He responded (via Arsenal.com):
“Obviously we can’t make a decision based on a performance on a day when there are many circumstances, not only the players who were lost, but also the substitute who took off Ethan, the one for Martin who is presented for a very limited time. Hopefully on Tuesday we will be in a better position, we’ll see.”
The Gunners are active in all four competitions at the moment. They are second in the Premier League and third in the UEFA Champions League standings. They next face Newcastle United at home in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday 7 January. They will then host Manchester United in the FA Cup third round on January 12.
Edited by Aditya Singh.