Brighton were bending after the second goal from Izan.
Not yet breaking—but bending in every direction Arsenal forced them to.
The crowd's energy, once punchy and loud, had dimmed to background static, murmurs replaced by unease.
And Izan was in the middle of it all.
Again.
It started in the 35th minute.
A pocket of space near the touchline opened, and Rice fed a low ball into Izan, who had dropped deeper.
Before the Brighton crowd could adjust their focus, Baleba crashed into his back—shoulder and arm clattering into Izan's spine just as the teenager pivoted away.
The contact wasn't outrageous.
But it wasn't legal either.
Izan caught himself as his boots skidded slightly.
But instead of falling, he stayed upright and turned—not to the referee, but to Baleba.
A single glance and then a small shake of the head.
Then, he raised a hand.
The referee blew the whistle.
And pulled out a yellow.
"Finally," muttered Saka, jogging toward the scene.
