Arsenal Vs Brighton: 3 positives from disastrous defeat

2. Arsenal played well for an hour

The Mikel Arteta project is more important than the points. Yes, it would be nice if Arsenal won and closed the gap to the top five teams, but in reality, Champions League qualification is already beyond this team. What is more significant is building the foundations of a team. And for an hour, there were positive signs.

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Hector Bellerin looks sharp again at right-back, Matteo Guendouzi was close to his best in a holding midfield role that could be his long-term home in the team, while Rob Holding settled into the defence well enough, even with a few nervy moments here and there.

For much of the first half, Arsenal looked sharp. They moved the ball quickly, accurately, created several chances, and largely controlled play. Even in the early stages of the second half, they remained well on top of Brighton and more than deserved the lead when Pepe curled home a beauty.

It was only in the final 15 minutes that they capitulated, lacking the necessary fight and desire to grind out the victory. But while that is concerning and is something Arteta must address, the overall performance is much more important for the long-term success of the project. And Arsenal’s performance, for the most part, was decent.