Arsenal 1-2 Brighton: 3 talking points from crushing top four blow

Arsenal suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats at home to Brighton after another abysmal display on Saturday. Goals from Leandro Trossard and Enock Mwepu gave the visitors a two goal lead, and while Martin Odegaard scored a long-range effort via a deflection late on, the visitors held on for a memorable 2-1 win.

Mikel Arteta was forced to make two changes with Albert Sambi Lokonga and Emile Smith Rowe coming into the starting XI for Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey. Granit Xhaka, as he did around this time last season, started at left-back.

The visitors started the better of the two sides, with Graham Potter’s side enjoying the lion’s share of possession, even if it was an underwhelming first 25 minutes with both sides very reserved in possession and not willing to take any chances going forward.

Brighton would take the lead just before the half-hour mark. The outstanding Mwepu latched onto a forward pass from Lewis Dunk before brilliantly cutting it back for Trossard to slam home from close range.

Arsenal 1-2 Brighton: 3 talking points from crushing top four blow as Mikel Arteta’s side suffer devastating Premier League defeat

With merely seconds left in the first half, Arsenal thought they were level. A corner from Bukayo Saka found Gabriel who headed back across goal where Gabriel Martinelli prodded home. However, after a four-minute check, VAR decided the Brazilian was offside. It was a poor first half from the Gunners as they went into the sheds 1-0 down.

Arsenal started the second half in a much brighter fashion, dominating possession as they pushed for an equalizer, even if their shape remained puzzling even to the players. And yet, Brighton doubled their lead in the 66th minute. The visitors struck a killer blow with a fantastic strike from the edge of the box from Mwepu giving the Gunners all sorts of problems.

The home side continued to press to get back into the game, and finally got the first of two goals they sought with mere minutes remaining in normal time as Odegaard’s strike from distance took a wicked deflection off Danny Welbeck to loop over Robert Sanchez.

However, Brighton stood firm to claim a vital three points and bring Arsenal’s top-four bid into serious question. The game provided plenty of unwelcome talking points.

No Thomas, no Partey

With the Ghanaian sidelined with a thigh injury, Arsenal deployed Sambi Lokonga in his place. It didn’t work. The Gunners looked completely devoid of ideas against Brighton.

There was no link between attack and defense as far too many times Arsenal sluggishly passed sideways and backwards. With Thomas Partey in midfield there was always an option to turn and drive forward, which was nowhere to be seen today. It was too pedestrian.

Such was his absence that Brighton dominated the midfield area in the first half as Arsenal simply could not get any rhythm or zip to their play. There was no one to receive passes from the defence and transition the team through the thirds with any menace.

His ability to glide past players and keep things ticking over in midfield was sorely missed. Arsenal’s inability to spend in January is coming back to haunt them at the most inopportune time, even if he is an irreplaceable member of this team.

Given that it wasn’t working, the decision to keep Xhaka at left-back for so long became even more puzzling. Arsenal lacked any authority or control in the centre of the park, and Sambi is still developing his game so he needed some presence alongside him.

Solutions have to be sought as European football on the whole is at risk now.

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Questions Over Arteta’s Management

With Kieran Tierney now out for the season due to a knee injury, many thought that Nuno Tavares would get some much-needed game time. The backup left-back has barely seen the field over the last two months.

Instead, today, Arteta deployed Granit Xhaka in that position and made Lokonga partner Odegaard in midfield. It was a disaster. Brighton played around and through the Arsenal midfield with ease, exploited the gaps at left-back, and were physically comfortable all across the pitch with Xhaka’s absence in midfield keenly felt.

Backward and sideways passing was met with moans and groans from the Arsenal faithful. Every pass was to feet, there was nobody occupying the high No. 8 position with Smith Rowe coming short and any notion of physicality was gone. There was no balance to the team.

Even more so, after half-time, Xhaka was semi-moved into midfield and Gabriel Martinelli was playing a left wing-back role, which was more than odd when simply bringing on a left-back – one who is very attack minded – was an option available to him.

Still young in manager terms, Arteta got everything wrong today with his team selection, substitutions and tactics. He and the side got the defeat the performance merited.

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VAR Controversy as a Guess Costs Arsenal

It wouldn’t be an Arsenal game with a VAR controversy, would it? Again Arsenal seemed to draw the short the straw.

While the incident with Martinelli’s goal showed various replays and images that were inconclusive that he was offside, after over four minutes of deliberation, VAR ruled him offside, seemingly taking a guess.

Fans erupted on social media along with other media personalities that given the lack of evidence, the onfield decision should have stood. Many have questioned just how the decision could have possibly been made when there was a clear lack of evidence to suggest Martinelli was offside.

The incident joins a long list of ones that Arsenal has been on the receiving end of. Now, that is not saying that Arsenal lost because of this as Brighton was full value for their win, however, these incidents with VAR are happening far too regularly in the league – and that is troubling.

In such an instance you should stick with the on-field decision. Four minutes in and there was still no conclusive evidence. Nothing changed during that time, they just flipped a coin.