Arsenal dropped valuable points in the race for the Premier League title as they were held to a 1-1 draw with Brighton at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners got off to a strong start and could have been in front early on after a decent chance for Bukayo Saka. They did eventually find themselves in the lead when Saka played Kai Havertz in behind to lob Bart Verbruggen.

It had seemed as though Arsenal were in control, but the switched after Declan Rice was shown a second yellow for preventing Joel Veltman from taking a quick free kick. Not long after, Brighton were level after Joao Pedro tapped home the rebound after David Raya had parried a shot.

Arsenal had chances to go in front through Havertz and Saka, but spent much of the game clinging on for the point. Here’s how football.london rated the Gunners players in the match.

David Raya: Can’t really be blamed for the goal as his initial save was superb. Made another good save from Ayari to at 1-1. Good intensity and distribution before that. 7.

Ben White: Struggled in his one-vs-one duels with Kaoru Mitoma so much that he was briefly moved away from the right wing-back spot. Seemed to be frustrated by this. 5.

William Saliba: Decent at the back for the most part including one impressive effort to cut out a cross. Was exposed by the lack of midfield protection for the goal. 6.

Gabriel: Defended strongly particularly after Arsenal went down to 10 men. Seems to enjoy that type of backs to the wall play. Not at his best for the goal, though. 6.

Jurrien Timber: Didn’t offer an awful lot going forward. Was decent defensively and showed his versatility to play three different positions. Hopefully his injury is not serious. 6.

Thomas Partey: Left the Arsenal back line exposed for the Brighton equaliser which he’ll be disappointed with. Had been decent before that, though. 6.

Martin Odegaard: Started superbly linking down the right wing with Saka. Seemed to struggle after being on the end of a nasty tackle from Minteh and never looked the same after that. 6.

Declan Rice: The second yellow was harsh, but flicking the ball away on a yellow was a stupid thing to do. The first booking was fully deserved too. A day to forget for Rice. 5.

Bukayo Saka: Keeps up his record of a goal contribution in every game so far this season. Perhaps could have added a goal to his assist but had Jack Hinshelwood on toast until the game shifted after the red card. 7.

Kai Havertz: Showed good composure to finish off what was a harder chance than it looked. Also created a great opportunity for Saka. Not as clinical as he could have been though. 7.

Leandro Trossard: Booed mercilessly by the visiting fans and seemed motivated to prove them wrong. Never really managed it though on what was a quiet day overall. 6.

SUBSTITUTES –

Riccardo Calafiori: Solid at left wing-back after coming on in a tough situation. Showed his versatility to then move in to left centre back. Looked secure in the amount of defending he was asked to do. 6.

Gabriel Martinelli: Offered a decent threat in behind with his pace, but couldn’t get on the ball often enough after coming off the bench. 6.

Oleksandr Zinchenko: Came on too late for a rating. n/a.