New angle of William Saliba penalty incident during Brighton vs Arsenal emerges and it changes everything

New footage of the incident that saw Brighton awarded a penalty against Arsenal in the 1-1 draw at the Amex has emerged - and it has changed everything.

The Seagulls were trailing 1-0, following Ethan Nwaneri’s 16^th-minute strike, when William Saliba conceded a penalty after he fouled Joao Pedro.

The ensuing spot kick was converted by the Brazilian on 61 minutes.

However, the foul has divided fans’ opinions.

At first glance, Saliba, 23, appeared to head butt the Brighton forward, and referee Anthony Taylor shared the same opinion and pointed to the spot.

Soon after, the Premier League released a statement.

"The referee’s call of penalty for a foul by Saliba on João Pedro was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed there was sufficient contact for a penalty,” read the statement.

However, a reverse angle has now emerged on social media, which appears to show that Saliba made contact with the ball before the clash of heads.

Terry is right. The ball comes off of Saliba’s head before the contact.

Even if Saliba had not touched the ball, you never see a clash of heads given as a pen.

But this is a horror decision.
How did VAR not overturn it? https://t.co/wrdtmO6new pic.twitter.com/aDdUww5yIT

— Magic hat (@themagic_tophat) January 4, 2025

And fans were quick to offer their opinions on X.

One said: "The ball literally hits Saliba’s head before Saliba’s head makes contact with Pedro. They contest a header, both players make contact with the ball and each other."

Another disagreed and added: "So it’s a dangerous follow through then. They are given all the time. The problem is you very rarely see these where the attacker wins the ball first. Normally the defender wins the ball, attacker makes contact and a free kick is given."

A third suggested: "Imagine if Arsenal got this penalty. It would feel like a gift. We never get anything like this. There’s definitely biased refereeing going on."

While a fourth commented: "All this video shows is Pedro wins the ball before Saliba. Like a tackle where the attacker wins the ball and the defender takes him out. Standard foul. Stop moaning all the time. Focus on your shortcomings instead. You didn’t even have a shot on target in the 2nd half."

A fifth slammed: "He was late to the ball and it was a penalty. Probably should have lost this 3-1 if Brighton could hit their easy chances. ABYSMAL performance from Arsenal. Trying to sit on a 1 goal lead wasting time. This is not a title contending team."

The draw sees Arsenal stay in second place, trailing league leaders Liverpool by five points with Arne Slot's side having played two games less. Next up, Mikel Arteta's side will face Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at the Emirates on Tuesday before they host Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday 12 January.