Arsenal and Brighton shared the spoils in the afternoon kickoff on Saturday, August 31st, with a bizarre second yellow card for Declan Rice taking all of the headlines from the stalemate.
Player Ratings
Arsenal
Bukayo Saka stood out with a 7.7 rating, while Kai Havertz followed with a 7.2. David Raya, Ben White, and Gabriel Magalhães earned ratings around the 6.7-7.0 range whilst Declan Rice struggled with a low rating of 5.6 due to his sending off.
Here are the player ratings for Arsenal:
Brighton
Lewis Dunk was the standout on the pitch with an 8.0 rating, and Bart Verbruggen earned a 7.8. João Pedro also performed well with a 7.8 rating. Danny Welbeck had a tough game with a 5.7 rating.
Here are the player ratings for Brighton:
Best Player of the Match
Lewis Dunk
Lewis Dunk was the best player on the pitch despite a mixed performance. While he initially struggled, particularly when Bukayo Saka muscled past him to assist Kai Havertz's goal, Dunk redeemed himself in the second half with a crucial pass that led to João Pedro's equaliser.
His defensive solidity and ability to recover from early mistakes highlighted his leadership at the back, making him a standout performer in Brighton's hard-fought draw.
Worst Player on the Pitch
Declan Rice
Declan Rice was the worst player on the pitch, as he struggled to make an impact and was sent off with a red card in the 75th minute. His poor judgment and reckless challenges left Arsenal with ten men, although his second yellow was extremely soft.
