Arsenal 1 Albion 1

Albion should not be disappointed about the two points they felt got away at the Emirates.

A draw secured by Joao Pedro’s alert finish was decent reward for a side who have started the season well but are still in a phase of reconstruction.

There was a period between Kai Havertz’s goal and Declan Rice’s much-discussed red card when it seemed Fabian Huerzeler would become the youngest head coach to ever suffer defeat in the Premier League.

Yes, there is always an age-related bit of trivia there somewhere with the current boss.

But his fresh-faced Albion can look forward to an international break knowing they have set off in the right direction.

Asked what he will look to work on after this seven-point start, Huerzeler said: “Everything. We have to be consistent in all phases of the game.

“There are too many momentums. We are not controlling the games how we would want to control them.

“Especially the first 15 minutes, we didn’t want to be this low.

“We need be more courageous with the ball.

“I think the courage was missing.

“After the first 15 minutes we had a good phase.

“Also in the second half, we had a very good phase with scoring and having two or three chances.

“But we also had the phase of conceding chances against us.

“So I think consistency is very important.

“Set-pieces are so important.

“We defended set-pieces well but offensive set-pieces were not good enough.

“We had a lot of set-pieces and we did not create one chance.

“They are all phases we can improve and that is always how I want to work – focus on the process.”

The process has so far involved great response to huge moments in each game.

This enthralling, high-tempo, increasingly bad-tempered contest turned on a second yellow card for Rice.

When the England midfielder unwisely flicked a ball away from Joel Veltman, he also flicked switches for both teams.

Albion suddenly became dominant while their hosts sat back with surprising haste.

Previously, Huerzeler’s men had responded impressively to the penalty reversal at Everton and a disallowed Manchester United goal at the Amex.

All three of those big calls were correct, as even Arsenal appeared to recognise after Rice departed.

Their complaints seemed to be more about Joao Pedro not being booked earlier, which was possibly justified – although Huerzeler did not think so.

But, still, that was an awful lot of fuss about a yellow card not being shown to an opponent.

Joao Pedro levelled soon after Rice had departed with alert following-up after Lewis Dunk sent in Yankuba Minteh, who was denied by David Raya.

Dunk was also involved in Havertz’s lobbed opener with an error of judgement just as his side were looking comfortable, having survived a high-powered Arsenal start to the game.

Both Bart Verbruggen and Raya made saves in the final quarter of the contest and there was a sense Albion should have made more of their one-man advantage.

That said, they carved a great chance to win it when Georginio Rutter got disappointingly poor contact on a header as Julio Enciso picked him out in front of goal.

Pluses will include the youthful midfield pairing of Carlos Baleba, who played the whole game, and Yasin Ayari, on early for injured James Milner.

There are several players to come back in and it feels like this relaunch is just getting started. A point at the Emirates is a decent building block.

Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber (Zinchenko 80); Partey, Rice, Odegaard (Martinelli 74); Saka, Trossard (Calafiori 59), Havertz. Unused subs: Setford, Kiwior, Nwaneri, Jorginho, Lewis-Skelly, M’Hand.

Goal: Havertz 38.

Yellow card: Rice 42 and 49, Partey 45+3, Timber 70, Raya 90+4. Red card: Rice Albion: Verbruggen; Veltman (Estupinan 72), Van Hecke, Dunk, Hinshelwood; Milner (Ayari 17), Baleba; Minteh (Rutter 72), Joao Pedro, Mitoma (Adingra 85); Welbeck (Enciso 85). Unused subs: Steele, Webster, Igor, Lamptey, Goal: Joao Pedro 58.

Yellow card: Huerzeler 43, Minteh 70, Joao Pedro 90+6.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh.