Joao Pedro: “We started the game well,” says Brighton’s captain for the night. “We could have won but got a point. We need to look forward.

“We conceded in the first half but knew we could win this game. We tried to score at the beginning of the second half. We wanted to win.”

On the penalty: “I tried to control the ball and then [Saliba] hit me. It’s good that I scored. I always try to be positive with goals and assists. I like the feeling and hopefully I’ll score more.”

Jean Paul van Hecke: “I think we did quite well,” says the Brighton defender in an interview with Sky Sports. “We shouldn’t have conceded the first goal. That shouldn’t happen to us, but you can see a lot of character in the boys. We need to be more consistent.

“We have a really young team. The average age of our team is 23. It’s tough sometimes, but our guys fight for everything. Maybe you need a bit more experience to manage the game. In some parts we are really good. Consistency is an important thing for us to get back where we need to be.”

Liverpool v Manchester United in doubt: Liverpool could find themselves with three games in hand over Arsenal this time tomorrow, because with heavy snowfall forecast in the Liverpool area tonight, Liverpool City Council’s safety advisory group will hold a meeting tomorrow to see if it’s safe for the game to go ahead.

I suspect there are plenty of Manchester United fans who will be on their knees praying that it gets postponed until such time as their team is slightly less … well, rubbish.

An email: “I’m an Arsenal fan but I am so fed up with Arteta,” writes Ben Sherwood. “For the most part we don’t play good football at a sustained high level, we don’t get the most from a talented squad, we’ve built a conspiracy mentality and try to deflect all of our own failures onto other factors. The moaning, time-wasting and theatrics aren’t worth it for where we are in the league.”

The table: Arsenal remain in second place, five points behind Liverpool, who have two games in hand. Brighton’s point move them up to 10th place, a point ahead of Brentford and one behind Fulham. They’ve now gone eight top flight games without a win: six draws and two defeats.

90+4 min: As things stand, this will game will end in a draw that won’t suit either team particularly well. Brighton will be happy to have rescued a point but will feel they should have won on the strength of an excellent second half performance.

Arsenal will view it for what it is – an opportunity to claw a little more ground on Liverpool missed. As things stand, Arne Slot’s side lead them by five points and have two games in hand. It’s all over … the game, that is. Not the title race, although I can’t see Liverpool getting caught.

90+3 min: Leandro Trossard cuts in from the left and sends a shot high into the stand behind the goal. He should have at least hit the target.

90+2 min: Merino pulls the ball low and hard across the edge of the Brighton six-yard box but the home side are able to clear it.

90+1 min: Adam Webster connects with a free-kick into the Arsenal penalty area but steers his header straight into the gloves of David Raya. We’re into six minutes of added time.

90 min: “If you accidentally kick a player in the box, it’s a penalty, so it seems entirely fair that if you accidentally headbutt a player in the box - it’s also a penalty,” writes Tama.

89 min: Rice’s cross into the penalty area is excellent but Thomas Partey connects and heads way, way over the bar.

88 min: Rutter needlessly fouls Rice to give Arsenal a free-kick in a decent position, in line with the right side of the Brighton penalty area, about 30 yards from goal.

86 min: Webster picks out Estupinan with a neat dink towards the byline but the Ecuadorian runs into traffic as he tries to cut inside and Arsenal clear.

84 min: Mikel Merino gets booked for a foul that leaves Rutter rolling on the ground in pain. Free-kick for Brighton, about 30 yards from the Arsenal goal, a little right of centre. Ayari slips on the wet turf as he shoots and his effort is well wide.

83 min: Mitoma plays the ball inside to Estupinan as Brighton surge forward again. Van Hecke plays a crossfield ball to Mitoma, who is unable to keep it in play. Arsenal throw-in, deep inside their own half.

82 min: “Some much-needed counterweight to the persecution complex Arsenal fans,” writes Sean Orlowicz. “I don’t care if the penalty was fair or not. This is what you get for routinely time wasting as soon as you get a one goal lead instead of going for a second. It’s so embarrassing watching Partey take 30 seconds to take a throw in the first half.”

80 min: Brighton continue to turn the screw, their tails up as we enter the last 10 minutes of this contest. Hurzeler’s substitutions have made a big difference to his team’s performance, while Mikel Arteta’s have had no discernible effect on Arsenal’s.

76 min: Obviously in on the Big Conspiracy to do Arsenal down, Yankuba Minteh cuts inside from the right, advances towards the Arsenal goal and drives a teasing low ball across the face of it. There’s nobody in a Brighton shirt on hand to poke it home. Neither Ayeri nor Mitoma were too far away, mind.

75 min: “Of course us Arsenal fans are going to be upset with the call,” writes Mike. “And of course the Guardian will side with the ref and think Arsenal fans are whiners. Never see positive coverage during a live Arsenal match. If it was Man City, however, the call would have been atrocious.”

74 min: The momentum seems to be with Brighton at the moment in a game that could easily go either way.

72 min: Another Arsenal corner. Brighton send the usual trio towards the halfway line, so Arsenal have to follow suit. Bart Verbruggen stretches to claim the subsequent inswinger in a reasonably uncrowded penalty area.

70 min: Thomas Partey obstructs Joao Pedro’s progress on the halfway line and is penalised for his troubles. Already sporting a bandage on his cheekbone, presumably a souvenir of the foul that earned him his penalty-kick, the Brazilian sits on the ground looking a mite fed-up by the battering he’s taking.

67 min: With rain lashing down on the south coast and Adam Webster on for the injured Igor Julio, Brighton go forward. Estupinan’s good cross into the Arsenal penalty area is headed clear. Igor appears to have done himself a mischief sliding in to prevent Mikel Merino running on to a ball in behind.

64 min: Arsenal substitution: Martin Odegaard on for Jorginho. Brighton susbtitution: Kaoru Mitoma on for Simon Adingra.

62 min: Parity is restored but Arsenal’s players were not one bit happy about the awarding of that penalty. Anthony Taylor thought long and hard before giving it and it’s hard to disagree with his decision.

It was a clear foul, albeit a totally accidental one on William Saliba’s part. Other opinions are available and I’m sure we’ll hear plenty of them from irate Arsenal fans if they don’t go on to win this game.

58 min: Rice’s low delivery across the penalty area is sliced wide by Merino, who was stretching every sinew.

57 min: Declan Rice goes to ground holding his shoulder after a mid-air clash with Estupinan, who blindsided him as the duo contested the high ball. Free-kick for Arsenal, wide on the right.

56 min: Declan Rice’s inswinger towards the far post is a good one but he can only find the head of a Brighton defender and the hosts clear their lines.

55 min: Adingra gets back to put the ball out of play for a corner off the toe of Martinelli. Corner for Arsenal.

52 min: There’s plenty of time to go but Brighton’s almost total inability to cause the Arsenal defence anything in the way of problems will surely be a source of concern to Fabian Hurzeler. If his side fails to win this game, they’ll have gone eight without a victory in the Premier League, despite their young manager talking up many of the performances in which they drew or lost.

50 min: Gabriel Jesus and Jean Paul van Hecke collide as the Brazilian backs into the Dutchman and knocks him over while trying to chest down a dropping ball with his back to goal on the edge of the Brighton penalty area. The home side win a free-kick.

48 min: Brighton win a couple of throw-ins in quick succession, slowly making their way upfield like a rugby team relying on line-outs.

47 min: Brighton keep getting the ball wide to Simon Adingra on the left touchline and he keeps playing it back inside about 20 metres behind him.

An email: “You’ve got to hand it to both teams – this is the most realistic simulation of a crap 90s football game possible with several hundreds of millions pounds’ worth of players on the pitch,” writes Charles Antaki.

45+3 min: Brighton get back on the ball but lose it again when Yasin Ayari is dispossessed in midfield. It’s half-time …

45 min: Rice runs down the right flank on to a ball over the top and wins a corner for his side. Arsenal avengers assemble at the far post, as Nwaneri goes to take it. The 17-year-old takes so long standing over the dead ball that he’s booked for timewasting. When he eventually sends the ball into the mixer, Estupinan clears it. That caution seemed a little officious, fussy and needless on the part of referee Anthony Taylor.

44 min: Brighton press forward, all huff and puff but with little in the way of end product. Adingra’s cross is far too close to David Raya, who gathers comfortably.

42 min: Saliba mops up at the back for Arsenal, controlling and clearing a through ball that Joao Pedro was trying to run on to.

39 min: Another Arsenal corner, this time from the left. In a bid to reduce congestion in the box, Brighton send three men to the halfway line, so Arsenal have to put men on them.

Declan Rice’s inswinger is headed over the bar by Gabriel Jesus. Nearer the front post, Gabriel went to ground under the close attention of Matt O’Riley as the ball came in. He wants a penalty but the match officials aren’t interested.

38 min: Nwaneri curls the dead ball wide at the near post. It’s safe to say that’s not one from the Nicolas Jover playbook.

36 min: With Rice pulling the strings, Arsenal work the ball from left to right and Nwaneri wins a corner off Estupinan.

34 min: Matt O’Riley squares the ball for Adingra, who with loads of goal to aim at from about 10 yards out, somehow manages to slice it horribly wide. That looked like a terrific chance but Adingra didn’t make proper contact with the ball. Perhaps he slipped …

34 min: Verbruggen launches the ball upfield, Joao Pedro knocks it down and Matt O’Riley shanks a shot towards the corner flag.

31 min: Brighton get the ball wide to Veltman, who plays it back inside again. It really is that exciting.

28 min: His every touch of the ball still soundtracked by a chorus of half-hearted boos, Trossard cuts in from the left and curls a great ball towards the far post. It’s cleared.

26 min: Now Jorginho tries to pick out Gabriel Jesus with a ball over the top. It’s controlled and cleared by Igor Julio.

25 min: Baleba plays a ball over the top from deep for Adingra to chase but puts far too much welly on his pass. David Raya collects unopposed and at his leisure.

23 min: Looking at a replay of Arsenal’s opener, it’s fair to say Bart Verbruggen should definitely have done better in the Brighton goal. Channeling his inner hologram, he somehow let the ball pass through him when it seems he should have saved fairly comfortably. Jean Paul van Hecke could have done more too, as he allowed Nwaneri to bear down on goal unchallenged.

21 min: Adingra stands the ball up for Gruder at the far post. His downward header is grabbed by David Raya before Matt O’Riley can get to the ball. The Dane clatters into the goalkeeper as a consolation, leaving him winded, flat on his back and in need of treatment.

19 min: A Merino miskick inside his own penalty area and the ball drops for Simon Adingra. Off balance and almost certainly not expecting the ball to break his way, he shoots high and wide.

18 min: That shot of Nwaneri’s seemed to go through Bart Verbruggen, who almost certainly should have done better.

15 min: It’s been an incredibly cagey opening 15 minutes ofthis game that won’t live long in the memory of anyone who saw it. Or played in it. Neither goal has come under the slightest threat thus far.

14 min: A low Nwaneri delivery into the Brighton box is hoofed clear by Van Hecke.

13 min: Each time the ball finds its way back to the feet of Verbruggen, he stands over it for what seems like an eternity, trying to tempt Gabriel Jesus forward so he can take him out of the game with a quick pass out. The Arsenal striker isn’t having it.

12 min: Matt O’Riley’s corner is cleared as far as Nwaneri, who tries to break upfield on a counter-attack. He runs into Pervis Estupinan and loses the ball.

12 min: Brajan Gruda plays the ball wide to Joel Veltman, who wins a corner off Ricardo Calafiori.

9 min: Bart Verbruggen denies Gabriel Jesus after the Brazilian striker had been played in behind Jean Paul van Hecke by Jorginho. Offside but Jesus didn’t need to be and shouldn’t have been.

8 min: Now it’s Arsenal’s turn to try to build from the back as nothing much of note continues to happen in these opening 10 minutes.

7 min: Nwaneri tries to cut inside from the right flank but runs into a stout wall of resistance in the form of Igor and goes to ground.

5 min: With Thomas Tuchel present, I’m not saying there’s additional pressure on Declan Rice and Ethan Nwaneri, but they are the only two Englishmen on the pitch. Does the German actually want to be at this match, or is he just here to be seen being at this match?

4 min: Brighton try to build from the back again, taking their time as they try to draw various Arsenal players out of position. It’s been a slow start as both teams try to find their feet.

3 min: Joel Veltman is tripped as he tries to turn and clear the ball by the touchline deep in his own half. He wins a free-kick.

2 min: Bart Verbruggen gets an early touch and passes the ball wide to Igor, who loses it. Leandro Trossard gets on the ball and is booed by the fans of his former team.

Not long now: In the absence of Lewis Dunk, who is out with a calf injury, Joao Pedro leads Brighton out, while Jorginho wears the captain’s armband for Arsenal. In the stands, the new England manager Thomas Tuchel is present, having watched most of Tottenham’s match against Newcastle in London earlier this afternoon. Kick-off at the Amex Stadium is just a couple of minutes away.

Big Interview: Paul Barber Brighton’s chief executive on his mission to help youngsters and why the club are stronger after Chelsea’s raids. Words: Ed Aarons.

Martin Odegaard: Mikel Arteta has confirmed that his captain is on the bench this evening because he has been feeling poorly. Kai Havertz is also absent from the second matchday squad in a row due to that illness which seems to be doing the rounds of various top flight dressing-rooms.

Mikel Arteta: “It’s about supporting our players,” said the Arsenal manager when he was asked how he and his staff had helped Gabriel Jesus find his scoring boots after a long barren spell. “The players know they have to go through some periods sometimes which is not how they planned.

“As well, they have to believe in themselves and we have to make sure that if one day they doubt, we are there to recognise and make sure they feel from our side how much we like them and how happy we are to have them.”

Fabian Hurzeler: “Things happen for different reasons,” said Brighton’s German manager of his team’s seven-game winless run. “The experience gives you orientation in how to behave in these situations and how to come back to the results. In the end, there are some patterns you can adjust. Despite the bad results, we have had some really good performances. Always trust the process. We are on the right way.”

Today’s match officials

• Referee: Anthony Taylor.

• Assistants: Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn.

• Fourth official: Sam Barrott.

• VAR: Darren England.

• Assistant VAR: Akil Howson.

Those teams: Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli are surprise omissions from the Arsenal starting line-up, with Mikel Arteta bringing in Jorginho and former Brighton player Leandro Trossard to replace them as they drop to the bench. Declan Rice comes in for Jurrien Timber, who is suspended, which means we can expect to see Thomas Partey starting at right-back. Kai Havertz is not in the matchday squad.

Fabian Hurzeler makes three changes to the side that drew with Aston Villa last time out. Pervis Estupinan starts in place of Lewis Dunk, who is not in the matchday squad. The Ecuadorian will start at left-back, with Igor Julio moving inside to centre-back. Elsewhere in the Brighton back four, Joel Veltman comes in for Tariq Lamptey, while Matt O’Riley replaces Julio Enciso in midfield.

Early team news

Arsenal right-back Jurrien Timber sits this one out through suspension, and with both Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu sidelined with knee injuries, Thomas Partey seems likely to deputise. One of Declan Rice or Kai Havertz is likely to come back into the side after missing Arsenal’s win over Brentford. Bukayo Saka remains out with a thigh injury, while the lesser-spotted Raheem Sterling is also unavailable through injury.

For Brighton, Ferdi Kadioglu, James Milner, Danny Welbeck, Evan Ferguson, Mats Wieffer and Jack Hinshelwood all remain out, but Adam Webster has been passed fir after recovering from a thigh injury and Pervis Estupinan could return after missing his side’s last game through illness.