Joao Pedro scored a second-half penalty to dent Arsenal’s title hopes as the Gunners were held to a draw by Brighton.
Arsenal went ahead in the 16th minute through Ethan Nwaneri, who was starting just his second match in the Premier League.
The 17-year-old was involved in a clever move with Mikel Merino and Declan Rice before firing a shot that squirmed past goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and found the far corner.
Arsenal dominated as they looked to build a bigger lead, and they were to pay for not taking their chances when Pedro struck from the spot just after the hour.
The penalty was awarded for an unusual incident when Pedro flicked the ball up and William Saliba, in attempting to nod it away, made contact with the head of the Brazilian forward who went to ground.
The foul was checked and confirmed by the video assistant referee, who deemed there was sufficient contact for a penalty and Pedro then sent David Raya the wrong way to level the scores.
It could have got worse for Arsenal after that, with Brighton substitute Yankuba Minteh curling wide from inside the area when well placed.
The result leaves Arsenal five points behind leaders Liverpool with Mikel Arteta’s side having played two games more.
Arsenal fall short but Nwaneri shines again
Arsenal manager Arteta had to rotate his squad, with Kai Havertz missing through illness and captain Martin Odegaard also suffering and only well enough for substitute duty.
The Gunners are already trying to deal with the loss of Bukayo Saka who is out of action with a serious hamstring injury, yet they had by far the better of the opening stages of this game.
The main criticism will be that despite that superiority, Arteta’s side struggled to create clear-cut chances.
Arteta has turned to teenager Nwaneri as he looks to fill the gap left by Saka’s absence, and it is a big challenge for a player so young.
The youngster was sharp and trusted by his team-mates in possession on the south coast but took some unnecessary risks. Learning from those will be part of his journey as he progresses into a senior player and gains more experience.
Nwaneri’s goal means that he is the first player to score more than one goal in the Premier League for Arsenal before their 18th birthday.
He was withdrawn at half-time but Arteta will again have been pleased with the showing from the youngster.
However, the team’s failure to complete their job will be a concern, and Arsenal are in danger of slipping out of the title race if they are unable to apply pressure on Liverpool, whose lead feels increasingly comfortable on days like this.
