This was a shot of reality for anyone who expected the verve of Arsenal’s north
London derby performance to become commonplace. Their attack never got going in filthy conditions and Brighton, supremely oiled by comparison, appeared the likelier winners for long periods.
Clear chances were at a premium, though, and in the end both teams could claim they are moving broadly in the right direction. Nobody in these parts would quibble with fifth place at this point in the season, while Mikel Arteta can be satisfied by the way his defence weathered the kind of pressure that might have overcome some of its recent predecessors.