Arsenal vs Brighton & Hove Albion: Gunner’s Squeak By

I expect not many of you Arsenal fans out there have many nails left after our precious Gunners squeaked by against Brighton and Hove Albion. But we won, we’re through, and that’s more than a lot of our rivals can say.

FINAL Arsenal vs Brighton and Hove Albion: 3-2

The match opened exactly the way we’d want it too. Theo Walcott took a beautiful cross from Calum Chambers and after a pristine first touch, laced it through for the first goal in just the 2nd minute.

The Gunners struck again in the 24th minute, as Mesut Ozil made his glorious return with a goal for himself. Safe to say the two players we wanted to score most, both scored to put Arsenal up 2-0.

But it wouldn’t be that easy.

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Out of half time, the Seagulls answered back with one of their own as the Arsenal defense was exposed for its lack of physicality. Keep in mind this defense is very similar to the back line we employ when we don’t have proper cover (bring on Gabriel Paulista).

However, Arsenal would seemingly put the game away a mere nine minutes later in the 59th minute, as Giroud and Rosicky played a wonderful attack in, capped off by Giroud chipping the ball to Rosicky, who rifled it home for the win.

Brighton would add another goal on some more shoddy defending, but it would finish an Arsenal win.

The most important thing is that we won, but we were painfully reminded of how poor our defense can be when not fully healthy and without proper cover.

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Next: Francis Coquelin or Jack Wilshere?