Under 21 1 - 1 Brighton U21 - Match Report

Our under-21s were held to a 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion in Premier League 2 on Sunday.

Khayon Edwards scored in the 32nd minute of the game, but the Seagulls found a late equaliser courtesy of Freddie Simmonds.

Harry Howell floated a dangerous ball towards Marcus Ifill for the first chance of the game, but Josh Robinson got a great touch on the ball to stop him having an easy header.

Maldini Kacurri tried to tackle Ifill when he was in on goal but just knocked it past Tommy Setford, Ifill hitting the post with the net empty.

Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand played a great pass for Ismeal Kabia on the right. He got there ahead of the onrushing goalkeeper, but the pass was just behind Edwards and Brighton cleared their lines.

There was a first save for Setford, when Howell shot from 20 yards, but it was comfortable for our goalkeeper.

Brighton came again, this time the captain Jamie Mullins getting forward. He found Ifill on the left and his first time cross just evaded Caylan Vickers.

We took a short free kick and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji charged down the left. He got to the byline and fired a shot across goal but Hugo Fisher made a good save.

We then took the lead, Edwards spinning on the penalty spot and planting his effort into the bottom corner.

Brighton then attacked down the right again; Howell feeding Cameron Peupion, who put a low cross in towards the near post, but Setford came out quickly to smother it.

Butler-Oyedeji played a lovely chip over the top for Edwards who got a good shot away but it was saved well by Fisher, with the flag going up after afterwards on the brink of half-time.

In the second half, Butler-Oyedeji was clean through on goal and tried to chip Fisher but the keeper stood tall to catch it.

Peupion drove forward and had two shots blocked. He then got to the byline and squeezed a shot under Setford but the flag was up for a goal kick before he took the shot.

Setford then made a great save to deny Howell from a low free-kick, but Brighton got in again down the left, this time with Caylan Vickers. Setford snuffed out his cross again.

Louis Flower got up for a header and hit the crossbar for Brighton, in search of a late equaliser.

Butler-Oyedeji picked out Robinson with a through ball into the box but the latter put the shot just wide, with the flag going up after the chance anyway.

Kabia then bursted forward down the right and put a low cross in towards Romari Forde, but his flick was blocked well by Ed Turns.

But Brighton score in the 92nd minute, Simmonds heading in from a corner, before Imari Samuels was sent off for a rash tackle on Max Dowman.

We're seventh in PL2 with 16 points from our first nine games of the season.

We’re back at Mangata Pay UK Stadium for a 7pm kick-off against Sunderland on Monday, December 16.

Arsenal XI: Setford, Robinson, Nichols (Forde 46 (Kamara 90)), Kacurri, Monlouis, Gower (Dowman 84), Kabia, Ismail Oulad M’Hand, Edwards, Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand, Butler-Oyedeji (C).

Substitutes (not used): Martin Nygaard, Ferdinand.

Brighton XI: Fisher, Albarus, Samuels, Simmonds, Turns, Knight, Peupion, Mullins (C) (Moulton 90), Vickers, Howell (Flower 71), Ifill.

Substitutes (not used): Ferdinand, Penman, Bashir.