Arsenal were supposed to win each and every match from now until the end of the season, to keep their hopes of being in the title race alive. Manchester City had picked up form in recent times. And the Gunners couldn’t afford any slipups. However, Arsenal lost to Brighton ending the hopes of their fanbase to lifting the Premier League title. Well, more or less, it just did!!
Now, it would take a miracle to see the North London giants win the EPL. It was something that they would have done for the first time since 2004. This was the season when the MIGHTY INVINCIBLES were born. However, it seems highly unlikely now. And everyone including Mikel Arteta and the players would know that too.
With that being said, the disappointment was clearly visible on the faces of the fans that left the Stadium even before the game as over. A bulk of Arsenal fans could be seen on the streets when the scoreline was 2-0. And the game eventually ended 3-0 in favour of the visitors, Brighton!!
So, Why Arsenal Lost To Brighton At The Emirates In This Must-Win Encounter!? Here Are Three Reasons Why!!
No Game Plan From Mikel Arteta; The Everton Game Vs Brighton Could Have Been The Best Case-Study
Brighton got smacked 1-5 at the Amex by Everton in the previous game. The Toffees are a side that are battling relegation at present. And they totally humiliated the Seagulls on their home turf and produced a shocking result.
In the mean-time, when Arsenal needed to produce a result, they were really poor. And Mikel Arteta and his management gets equal blame for the same, as does the performance of the players. There seemed to be no real PLAN for the home side. They were just trying to push forward and hoping for a goal.
On the other hand, when Sean Dyche’s men faced off against Brighton, they were better organized and had a really good plan. They were pushing forward quickly, way more direct and exploiting multiple spaces on the pitch. This was something that the Gunners failed to do.
And so, it ended in a horrific performance and an embarrassing scoreline. Yes, some would argue that the final result did not justify the overall performance. But, Arsenal, just like Everton, needed to win this game. One team did exactly what they needed to and got all three points. While the other team just stood there and watched, as Brighton outplayed them!!
When Martinelli Went Off And Trossard Came On; Something Never Really Clicked!!
Martinelli was toying with Mitoma and Moises Caicedo on the left wing (right for them), till the attacker was injured in this match. On came a former Brighton player, Leandro Trossard. However, things just did not seem to click for him.
Yes, he did manage to hit the bar in the first half. But, the chances that Trossard generally creates were just not coming Arsenal’s way. It was like he was not fully committed to the cause. And that the Brighton players knew him quite well!!
To add to that, the whole midfield and attacking unit switched off tonight once Martinelli left the pitch. Saka wasn’t effective enough and Gabriel Jesus’ game was disrupted as well. Not a sight that any Gooner wanted to see in this must-win game.
Eventually, Arteta tried his best to make changes and reignite some flare. But it just wasn’t there. Maybe, Manchester City winning earlier in the night was a factor too. They beat Everton with ease. But all these are excuses and can’t be tolerated.
Thomas Partey’s Absence In The Starting XI Wasn’t Justified And This Was One Of The Main Reasons Why Arsenal Lost To Brighton
With just a handful of games to go (3) and no real injury threat, Thomas Partey sat on the bench as Jorginho started the match. Now, there is no blame to the Italian for his performance, as he was outplayed at times and this was a tactical failure more than anything.
Brighton’s quick paced and compact midfield did not give Jorginho too much space to operate from. To add to that, he and Xhaka don’t really have the pace to run around players. So, the passing unit did not function as well as they would have liked.
With nothing more left to play and Xhaka not as sharp as one would expect him to be, Partey should have started this game. There was no point of having him on the bench, when he is fully fit and ready to play. At the end, Arteta tried to bring him on and savage something from the match (even a win), but it was too little too late!!
The home team was already down by a goal and never gained back the momentum. Arsenal lost to Brighton and eventually the hopes of a title race ended on the night!!
