Considering the blizzard that followed Arsenal’s draw with Brighton on the south coast on Saturday evening slowing traffic to a crawl, it gave me additional time to reflect on what I had witnessed as the Gunners dropped two more points in what remains of this title race. It was never going to be a perfect unbroken run between now and May.

Arsenal were going to drop points and away at Brighton with a seriously diminished side is not wildly surprising. However, as I drove through the wind and snow, desperately trying to follow the tyre marks of the car in front, every other ounce of brain power that was in reserve just could not shake the injustice, the aggravation and also the inevitability of it all.

I thought I had grown numb to these occurrences, almost expecting them, but there was something different about how Arsenal drew this game that made something snap. The game was more than just the penalty call, of course, but it is difficult for everything not to feel like it was influenced by it.

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That infamous Mario Balotelli celebration where he lifts his shirt to reveal the printed question of ‘Why always me?’ was certainly how perhaps Arsenal felt, it’s how I, as someone who follows the club, couldn’t escape from thinking as the game trickled toward full-time with ever-growing knowledge this was not going to end in a dramatic late victory.

Yet the question stands true. This is hardly a once-in-a-blue-moon moment for the club, just months earlier saw another unique controversy. Not just the one either, this is becoming such a regularity you can make a football scrapbook of these incidents that happen to Arsenal and seemingly no one else.

Whether it was William Saliba being sent off against Bournemouth from just inside his own half for stopping a “clear goalscoring opportunity” despite Tosin Adarabioyo, Micky van de Ven and Joe Gomez all committing similar or worse and receiving no retrospective action from the officials or (if it was present) VAR.

Leandro Trossard kicked the ball away at Manchester City and got a second booking despite Jeremy Doku kicking the ball away himself earlier in the match. Less than a second was observed between Michael Oliver’s whistle and the Belgian booting the ball away toward what looked to be an onrushing Gabriel Martinelli.

Declan Rice managed to get booted into the air following the tap of a football and get sent off. This is of course just this season alone.

Gabriel Martinelli was sent off for two yellow cards in the same phase of play, something never seen again. It seems that this is similar to the stance officials have on delaying the restart.

Takehiro Tomiyasu received a second yellow for making contact with Jordan Ayew. I’d ask if a harsher second yellow had ever been seen but Arsenal have several examples only a few sentences before this.

David Luiz was sent off at Wolves for contact made by an opposition player with his knee. Granit Xhaka was sent to the stands after making a typical yellow-card challenge to prevent a break of play at home to Swansea City – again something only ever punished with a caution but in this case, John Moss saw it worthy of something else.

I could go on and talk about things like VAR missing an offside goal scored by Brentford in a game before Arsenal face title rivals Manchester City and ended up dropping points. I could continue and bring up how Mikel Arteta finds himself cautioned for celebrating a last-minute winner incurring a touchline ban at Aston Villa.

All these and more have stacked up and the question of why always Arsenal is not just recognised even only by their fans, but the wider footballing community appears to be noticing it too.

Well, that itch has been scratched and that rant has been had. In terms of where Arsenal are after the controversy, they sit on 40 points after 20 games, the same tally where they were at the same stage last season.

The problem is from this point forward, Arsenal would drop points in two of the remaining 18 games. It will take an almighty effort and a lot more players returning from injury to help in order for this to happen again.

The misfortune suffered by Arsenal this season outside of the aforementioned decisions is on another level. The injuries and now a spate of illnesses costing Mikel Arteta his key players is startling.

Arsenal nearly managed to go to one of the toughest grounds in the league without Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Kai Havertz, a fit Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli, a suspended Jurrien Timber and losing their goal-scorer at halftime, Ethan Nwaneri, and win. They came close, and indeed Nwaneri got them in the lead.

It is a real shame if he too is missing for Arsenal - losing him on top of everybody else - because he has shone in these past two games. The confidence is amazing and the way he drives is something this team is sorely lacking.

Arteta said after the game that a decision on transfers cannot be made after one performance. I feel this is a bit of a short-sighted response because it is hardly just this game or this situation which has signalled the need for more reinforcements.

Yes, he might simply be tempering expectations but I empathise with those frustrated by the response. This team needs more, not just anyone, but before this winter window closes I sincerely hope a significant effort has been made to try and find that attacking boost to the side or the available trophies on offer could slip away quickly.