Brighton 1-1 Arsenal: Mikel Arteta 'very disappointed' with Joao Pedro penalty from William Saliba foul

A "very disappointed" Mikel Arteta believes Joao Pedro's penalty that denied his Arsenal side victory at Brighton should not have been given.

With Arsenal leading 1-0 through Ethan Nwaneri's early opener, Joao Pedro went down William Saliba clashed heads with the Brighton forward as they contested a high ball.

Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot and VAR agreed with the call as there was "sufficient contact" from the Arsenal defender.

Pedro scored the spot kick and the stalemate means Arsenal are five points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool having played two games more.

Asked by Livesport VIP for his take on the decision, Arteta replied: "I have never seen it in my life and Saliba touches the ball. For me, a clear no penalty."

He later expanded in his press conference: "The game comes with a decision that is very disappointing.

"I have never seen a decision like this in my career. I asked the boys if they have and nobody has seen it before.

"When you look at the incident, the distance, the player, Joao Pedro touching the ball, Saliba touching the ball, you can see contact there."

Asked if he felt VAR should have overturned the decision, he replied: "If I expect it? I checked and after three seconds they said they already checked it. It seems quick."

Arteta said he did not receive an explanation from referee Taylor about the decision but the official did tell him he would take a look at it, according to the Arsenal manager.

Jamie Redknapp on Livesport VIP:

"Saliba gets himself in a muddle. Then it's just a reaction, to stick his head out to try and win the ball. It's chaotic and it's not what we would normally associate with Arsenal.

"Is it a penalty? Absolutely. You can see the contact."

Steve Sidwell on Livesport VIP:

"Joao Pedro has shown a bit of Brazilian flair. As the ball has come up, he reads the bounce and flicks it up. It's a genuine attempt to get the ball from Saliba but Joao Pedro gets there before him."

The draw on the south coast raised more questions as to whether Arsenal need more going forward, especially with the January transfer window now open.

The Gunners managed nine shots - their second-lowest tally in a Premier League game this season where they have had 11 men - and their Expected Goals (xG) tally of 0.8 is their second-lowest league tally of the season from those same category of matches.

Asked if there is a need to act in the transfer market, Arteta said: "We cannot make a decision based on one performance or one day with a lot of circumstances. Not only the players we lost, but the fact that we had to take Ethan out, Martin we could only use for a limited time.

"Hopefully Tuesday [for the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle, live on Sky], we will be in a better position.

"You can't rely just on one player to do that. The process in the second half, we lacked certain things and it's normal because we had the fluidity to work in certain areas is not the same. That's something we can do much better and that's on us."

Livesport VIP' Sam Blitz at the Amex Stadium:

After the first half at Brighton, it looked like Arsenal found the answer to their forward problems.

Bukayo Saka is out for a while and Martin Odegaard was not fit to start but 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri stepped up in the absence of both. His finish was Saka-esque and, unfazed by the presence of England manager Thomas Tuchel in the stands, it looked like the start of something special.

Then it fell apart. Nwaneri came off injured and Arsenal lost their fluency up front. Gabriel Martinelli came on but for the second game in a row, the Brazilian ended up without a shot or chance created as a right winger.

"I think we lost him as well," said Arteta of Nwaneri's blow, with the teenager joining Saka and Raheem Sterling as right wingers on the treatment table.

Arsenal now need to fix this lack of fluency. They managed just nine shots - their second-lowest tally in a Premier League game this season where they have had 11 players. Their expected goals tally of 0.8 was their lowest in all competitions for 18 games.

This may be the result that tips Arsenal towards the transfer market…

Livesport VIP' Jamie Redknapp:

"I said before the game there were still going to be twists and turns but if Arsenal keep performing like this, there won't be. They were poor tonight. Second half, they had one shot on target. Draws are costing them. That was a really poor night for them. A lack of quality, a lack of guile.

"I just felt, unless it was a set-piece, Arsenal weren't good enough in the second half. Credit to Brighton.

"Arsenal have got to go on a Man City-type of run to win the title. They've got to look at what Man City have done in these last couple of years, when they've hunted them down and chased them and made it so difficult, taking three points every time.

"But are Arsenal capable of doing it? They've got to play better than they are. That's the fact. You can look at it on paper and say, 'these are lovely fixtures', but you've got to make it count.

"A couple of weeks ago at home to Everton, you're thinking, 'that is an absolute banker for them'.

"They haven't been able to win games like that and that's where they've got to find different ways, especially without Bukayo Saka."