Arsenal’s title hopes surely dashed after costly defeat to high-flying Brighton

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armory‘S Premier League Potentially fatal blow after losing title hopes 3-0 At home brighton on Sunday.

Julio AncisoK’s 51st-minute header broke the deadlock in front of the former Brighton striker leandro trossard gifted Deniz Undav Chance to double the lead on 86 minutes As the game went into stoppage time, parvis estupinen A third pair on the rebound after the Gunner’s goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale Undev’s long range effort saved.

– Recap: Brighton used the surge in the second half to crush Arsenal
, Premier League table: where the teams stand

Roberto De Zerbi’s side earn a valuable win that keeps their quest for European qualification on track, leaving the Gunners’ chances topping Manchester City hanging by a thread.

The first half gave way to a more open, free-flowing second period in which Brighton played the better football and Arsenal struggled to replicate the form that had presented an impossible title challenge. Estupinan’s early cross was intercepted by Kieran Tierney But an Ecuadorian defender headed the rebound into the goal, where Enquiso was unmarked to head home.

As they chased an equaliser, Arsenal attempted to play from behind, but Trossard’s first-time forward pass was intercepted by Pascal Gross and the loose ball fell squarely to the substitute, who lifted a clever finish over Ramsdale. took.

Arsenal remain four points behind City, meaning City will be crowned champions if the Gunners lose. nottingham forest next Saturday.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga and more (USA)

Swift response

1. Arsenal’s title hopes have certainly run their course

That’s for sure. Arsenal plays in front of City but the gap looks huge, opportunity lost. Beating Newcastle United Last weekend seemed to breathe new life into the title race, but Sunday was surely the deciding day as City won 3-0. everton Earlier Arsenal had been beaten by the better team and by the same scoreline in North London.

Brighton still have to play City but they are already kingmakers, with Arsenal expected to deal the final, brutal blow to the title. Mikel Arteta admitted before the game that there would be no way for his players to retain the City result and perhaps the emphatic scoreline at Goodison Park contributed to a flat display in which they were unable to really wake themselves up after falling behind. failed.

It will rankle with Arteta that they were unable to take City to the final week of the season, but two wins from their last seven games have proved enough to allow Pep Guardiola’s side to leapfrog into an almost unassailable lead Is done. There was no noise at the final whistle. Thousands of fans left in despair but those who stayed cheered for their team. They know how much they have given. But now they also know that it will not be enough to win their first Premier League title since 2004.

2. Arsenal showed some struggle but not their football

The most impressive aspect of last weekend’s win at Newcastle was the way in which Arsenal stood up to their opponents’ physicality and toughness, earning the right to play when their quality came to the fore. Sunday pitted the two teams against each other in an aesthetically pleasing, yet still first half was a fascinating affair, exemplified by Gabriel Martinelliis up for a tough challenge kaoru mitoma returned in kind by moises caicedoTackle on the Brazilian a few minutes later.

Arsenal created a dangerous moment as Leandro Trossard hit the crossbar. Gabriel Jesus was rejected by a smart save and Bukayo Saka Flashed a shot wide on the stroke of half time. But Brighton had 62% possession – with a marginally higher xG of 0.50 to 0.45 – despite Arsenal having three shots to the eight – and carried it forward after the interval, playing some brilliant football to perform seemingly free of pressure which was probably hampered by the home side.

It is testament to the quality of Arsenal this season that they have rarely been beaten. The Gunners have now lost five league games this season. Manchester City taught them a lesson in both their wins, but Manchester UnitedThe 3-1 win in September was a bit of a smash and grab, as were Everton’s 1-0 success in Sean Dyche’s first game in charge. Brighton deserved it, looking sharper in possession with more invention. They still have to play City at home, but unfortunately for Arsenal, the kind of test Brighton can provide will almost certainly come too late.

3. Injuries highlight the need to strengthen Arteta’s side

Arsenal responded tactfully to the takeover jorginho and Leandro Trossard missed out on his favorite targets in January (Moises Caido stayed at Brighton while Chelsea beat the gunners for Shakhtar Donetsk winger mykhailo mudrik, Those two signings have helped him stay with Manchester City for the long haul – even as recently as last weekend, Jorginho excelled as Arsenal beat Newcastle 2-0.

But the next step for Arteta is to add more quality to match City’s consistency, especially with Champions League football returning to the Emirates Stadium for the first time in six years. Gabriele Martinelli was forced off injured 20 minutes after joining William Saliba And oleksandr zinchenko On the touchline – three key absentees who were all missed badly.

Martinelli was seen wearing a protective boot the entire time, suggesting he is a major doubt for their final two games. These are, of course, good margins given Arsenal have exceeded expectations this season, but if they are to match City in a number of competitions next term and maintain another title challenge, Arsenal will need a number of Areas needing to add depth: centre-back, central midfield and left back. most obviously back.

As Rob Holding Having struggled to deputize for Saliba, eventually losing his place to Jacob Kivier, Kieran Tierney faltered in Zinchenko’s absence, his subtly header enabling Brighton to score their opening goal. Eddie Nketiah And reece nelson Has played his part several times this season but has been ineffective off the bench at the forgotten man Emile Smith RoweThe future looks uncertain.

In the bigger picture, Arsenal are ahead of their times in building their squad but it is still unclear what their next step should be.

best and worst performers

Best: Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton).
was beaten ben white With some great wing play all afternoon.

Best: Parvis Estupinen (Brighton).
A goal, an assist and a clean sheet from the all-action Brighton defender.

Best: levi colville (Brighton).
Martin did a good job of throttling Odegaard and finished with 108 touchdowns, completing 86.3 percent of 95 attempts.

Worst: Jorginho (Arsenal).
unable to deal with Brighton’s movement in midfield and was substituted for Thomas Partey at the hour mark.

Worst: Ben White (Arsenal).
Brighton lost sight of her channel targets in the air and on land at sea.

Worst: Kieran Tierney (Arsenal).
Unable to impact the game like Zinchenko and struggled to provide defensive solidity.

Highlights and Notable Moments

Already one down, a mix-up at the back put Arsenal two down.

What did the manager and players say after the match

Martin Odegaard on Arsenal’s title chase, for Sky Sports: “yeah it seems [whether the title is over], This is going to be very difficult now we have to be honest. It’s hard to take… It’s not a good feeling right now. The way we played, especially in the second half, I don’t know what happened to be honest. It seems there is no hope now.”

Brighton striker Deniz Undav on the Sky Sports victory: “The manager showed us a video of Michael Jordan, to show how he motivated himself in each game. He showed it to us after the defeat by Everton, and I think it was the right choice to show us the video; We showed today how mentally strong we are.” Are.”

Key Stats (Provided by ESPN Stats & Information Research)

– Brighton had never beaten Arsenal by more than one goal, and had never kept Arsenal scoreless in a Premier League match.

With the loss, Arsenal have nine points from their last seven league games, the club’s worst run of seven matches all season.

next

Arsenal: Heading to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, where a defeat for the Gunners would hand Manchester City the title. A win or draw will keep Arsenal’s slim hopes alive but will depend on City’s result against Chelsea the following day.

Brighton: Thursday travels to Newcastle United, where the Seagulls will look to beat another Champions League-bound side, boosting their hopes of European competition next season.





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