Danny Welbeck headed home late in the second half to earn Brighton a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
A lapse by Seagulls goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen led to Jordan Ayew’s nodded opener just before the whistle blew to end an uneventful first half.
Eberechi Eze returned from injury as a second-half substitute and had a few chances to double his side’s advantage, but it was the visitors who dominated late on.
The result, which sees Palace still in search of a second league victory at home, also marked the fifth consecutive Premier League meeting the rivals have drawn 1-1 at Selhurst Park.
There was little excitement to boast in the opening stages, just a Pascal Gross effort dragged wide and a cross from Ayew – back in the starting XI for the first time since his controversial and costly sending-off against Liverpool – was easily plucked out of the air by Verbruggen as the clock ticked past 10 minutes.
Dean Henderson, making his home debut and second start for Palace in place of the injured Sam Johnstone, kept out Simon Adingra, Carlos Baleba’s attempt from the rebound sailing wide before the action largely returned to midfield, save a few runs into the rivals’ respective penalty areas calmly managed by both sides.
Kaoru Mitoma occasionally flashed down the left flank and Jean-Philippe Mateta fired straight at Verbruggen from Tyrick Mitchell’s cross and the hosts had a pair of set pieces, coming closest with the second when Michael Olise’s corner deflected off Ayew inside the six-yard box and into Verbruggen’s arms.
Billy Gilmour and Baleba did well to defend another scramble inside the 18-yard box where Chris Richards, Mateta and Olise all threatened, Jefferson Lerma trying next but unable to put a finishing touch on Olise’s feed, while Gross saw a shot saved.
Just as a goalless first half had begun to feel an inescapable act, Verbruggen, under pressure from Richards, gave the ball away as he tried to loft a pass but instead gifted an opportunity to Olise, who nodded across to Will Hughes, making his 100th Premier League start.
Hughes sent the ball back in the direction of Olise, who finely directed a cross towards the far post for Ayew to head home moments before the half-time whistle blew.
There was an uptick in pace and two second-half substitutions for Roberto De Zerbi, including Welbeck, after the restart, when Joao Pedro skied an effort and Lewis Dunk had a good chance to level soon after, rising highest to connect with Gross’ free-kick, but only able to direct his header inches wide of the far post.
A diving Henderson was able to push Gilmour’s attempt at squaring things up through a crowd, while Jack Hinshelwood was left disappointed after connecting with Gross’ cross but sending it well over the crossbar.
Hodgson introduced Eze who should have doubled his side’s lead but was hesitant and instead denied by Jan Paul van Hecke’s sliding tackle before sending another effort wide.
The Eagles desperately wanted three points but Brighton were in the driver’s seat in the closing stages, and their composure finally paid off when Welbeck beat Richards in an aerial battle and nodded into the top right corner, just evading Henderson’s fingertips.
There were chances for the Seagulls to walk away with all three points, but the hosts – including Henderson, literally, in one instance – clung on for the draw.
'I don't celebrate goals any more' - Postecoglou bemoans VAR after Arsenal defeat
Ange Postecoglou admitted "I don't celebrate goals any more" after VAR denied Tottenham during their north London derby defeat by Arsenal.
Spurs were beaten 3-2 by their rivals, who kept their Premier League title challenge on track, despite a late rally having trailed 3-0 at half-time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Trailing 1-0 to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's own-goal, the hosts thought they had equalised when Micky van de Ven slotted past David Raya, However, the decision to award the goal was overturned following a VAR review with the defender adjudged to be offside.
Arsenal took advantage of their let-off with Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz increasing their lead, while second-half strikes from Cristiano Romero and Heung-Min Son proved academic for Tottenham.
"Games aren’t refereed in the stadium any more," Postecoglou told reporters during his post-match press conference. "I don’t celebrate goals any more.
"You've got to wait for somebody down the road. It’s a shame, I don’t like it, but I’ve got to accept it."
The Spurs boss was pleased with his side's response after the break, and hopes his players will benefit from the disappointment of losing the derby.
"It's a big day for our club and our fans, and we didn't get the outcome we wanted, so it's obviously very disappointing," he added on SpursTalk.
"You can go out in the second half and accept your fate that it's not your day, but we had to show some resilience and fight - just for our supporters more than anything else. To be fair to the lads, they did that.
"We just lacked some focus today in key moments, particularly in the first half. Sometimes, you've got to feel the pain of it to learn that lesson properly."
Arteta was 'praying' Arsenal held on for derby victory
Mikel Arteta was "praying" Arsenal clung on as the Gunners held off a late Tottenham fightback to claim a 3-2 north London derby victory on Sunday.
Arsenal looked to be cruising at 3-0 up after a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg own-goal put the Gunners ahead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz extended the visitors' lead.
However, a David Raya mistake allowed Cristian Romero to cut the deficit before a Son Heung-min penalty threw Arsenal's lead into further peril after Declan Rice brought down Ben Davies.
The Gunners held on, though, despite some late pressure, a period in which Arteta conceded he was fearing the worst.
"I was praying," Arteta told reporters. "It was a really emotional game.
"3-0 up you're in control, and then an individual error happens that clicks something. We started to deal with the situation better, but they have the players to put a lot of courage forward."
Along with the derby day spoils, the win extends Arsenal's lead at the Premier League summit to four points, temporarily at least with closest rivals Manchester City taking on Nottingham Forest later on Sunday in the first of their two games in hand over the Gunners.
The destination of the title remains in the hands of Pep Guardiola's City, who overtook Arsenal last term to claim a fifth Premier League title in six seasons last term after the Gunners led for much of the way.
Arteta believes Arsenal are better-equipped this time to go on and win the title, however.
When asked if Arsenal have the ability to go all the way, Arteta replied: "100%.
"I’ve seen that the whole season. They give me reason to believe that every single day. The motivation for what is ahead is beautiful."
'We fought until the end' - Saka 'delighted' as Arsenal withstand late Spurs surge
Bukayo Saka saluted Arsenal's fighting spirit as they withstood a late Tottenham revival to claim all three points in the north London derby.
Mikel Arteta's side prevailed 3-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to extend their lead at the Premier League summit to four points over second-place Manchester City with three matches remaining, though the Citizens still have two games in hand.
The Gunners surged into a 3-0 lead before half-time with Saka and Kai Havertz on target after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's own-goal broke the deadlock.
The winger's 15th goal of the season - his highest tally during a single term - saw him become the first English player to score home and away for Arsenal against Tottenham in the same Premier League campaign since Ian Wright in 1993-94.
However, the visitors given a late scare with Cristian Romero pouncing on David Raya's error to pull a goal back, before Heung-Min Son's 87th-minute penalty set up a grandstand finish.
Nevertheless, they held on for three points and, though the destiny of the title is out of their hands, their challenge remains very much alive.
"The last 20 minutes weren't nice, but it was worth it," Saka told Sky Sports.
"We know it's a big derby, and they don't want to lose 3-0 at home. Once they got one goal, the crowd were up and the momentum shifted their way. But I'm proud of the boys. We fought until the end, and got the three points.
"We showed our level heads at the end, and I'm proud to get the win. We know what it means to the fans and to us, so we're delighted.
"This is a massive win for us. We've got three [matches] to go, we're going to give it everything. City are an amazing team, but they're not perfect - nobody's perfect, they can drop points. We just need to do our job and see where it leads us."
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