João Pedro’s penalty secured a hard-fought 1-1 draw for Brighton against Arsenal following a contentious incident at the Amex Stadium. The penalty was awarded after William Saliba was judged to have unintentionally headbutted Pedro in the box while contesting a high ball.
Referee Anthony Taylor immediately pointed to the penalty spot, and after a VAR review, the decision was upheld. The Premier League later issued a statement confirming the decision:
“The referee’s penalty decision for a foul by Saliba on João Pedro was reviewed and upheld by VAR, which determined there was enough contact to warrant the penalty.”
Arsenal had taken the lead in the first half through Ethan Nwaneri, but a composed penalty from Pedro in the second half leveled the score and ultimately ended as the match’s final result.
The incident sparked a lively debate among fans on social media, with differing views on the fairness of the penalty. One fan wrote, “It’s just like any other tackle. The ball was there to be won, Pedro got to it first, and Saliba was late. Correct call.”
However, others disagreed, with one tweeting, “That’s such a soft penalty. Saliba was going for the header, and there was only the slightest contact with João Pedro’s head.”
There were also supporters of the referee’s decision, with one comment reading, “Not sure why there’s any complaints about that penalty. Saliba heads João Pedro and misses the ball completely… Clear penalty.”
The draw means Arsenal closed the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to just one point, while Brighton moved up to 10th place in the standings.
