Arsenal‘s miserable return to Premier League continues as they slump to yet another defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion this afternoon. The Gunners were on course for a narrow win through a second-half wonder goal from Nicolas Pepe.
But, a few lapses of concentration in defence saw the Seagulls come back from behind to seal a famous late win through goals from Lewis Dunk and Neal Maupay. The defeat serves as a massive blow for Mikel Arteta in his bid to secure European football next season.
Arsenal Player Ratings Vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Bernd Leno 6/10
An unfortunate game for Bernd Leno, who picked up a serious-looking injury during the last ten minutes of the first half in a collision with Neal Maupay. As a result, he had to leave the field.
Hector Bellerin 5/10
Not the best of performances from Hector Bellerin, who struggled to deal with the Brighton attackers in the defensive phases. The Spaniard was also ineffective going forward, providing very little support to Nicolas Pepe.
Shkodran Mustafi 4/10
Shkodran Mustafi is yet to replicate his performances earlier this year, and it was another underwhelming defensive display from the German. His forward passes were incredibly inaccurate while the defender was simply incompetent in dealing with the threat of Maupay.
Rob Holding 5/10
It was a decent performance from Rob Holding up until the moment when he failed to clear the ball in the 75th minute. As a result, Lewis Dunk scored the all-important equaliser. The defender looked shaky in defensive phases afterwards.
Sead Kolasinac 4.5/10
Sead Kolasinac was not among the best performers for Arsenal this afternoon. The Bosnian spent most of the time defending in his half and failed to come up with useful forward passes that could have made life easier for the Arsenal midfielders, as far as the transition play is concerned.
Nicolas Pepe 6.5/10
A moment of sheer brilliance saw Pepe find the opener in the 68th minute, almost out of nowhere. But, aside from the goal, the winger was utterly ineffective. He found it difficult not only to get past Dan Burn but also to provide useful balls into the box.
Dani Ceballos 6/10
It was an underwhelming display from Dani Ceballos as the midfielder struggled to provide the creative essence in the middle third of the pitch. He got dispossessed twice and barely had an impact in proceedings.
Matteo Guendouzi 6/10
Much like Ceballos, Matteo Guendouzi struggled to impose his authority in central midfield. The Frenchman mostly found himself unwanted or either meaninglessly distributing possession with horizontal passes.
Bukayo Saka 7.5/10
Bukayo Saka was a useful outlet in the Arsenal attack. He was involved in almost every offensive moment in the first-half, with his nimble footwork helping him nestle through tight spaces. But, his influence faded as time wore on.
Alexandre Lacazette 8/10
Alexandre Lacazette enjoyed one of his best games for Arsenal this year as the Frenchman was behind almost every decent scoring opportunity for Arsenal this evening. His combination play with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was simply eye-catching.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 7.5/10
Aubameyang was the primary source of chances for the Arsenal attack. However, the Gabonese international was bogged down by the tight marking and defensive commitment from the Brighton defenders who offered the attacker very little space. As a result, most of his shots were either blocked or saved by Mat Ryan.
SUBSTITUTES
Emiliano Martinez 6.5/10
Replaced Leno in the late stages of the first half and pulled out an excellent save from an Aaron Mooy effort seconds after coming on. The Argentine did a decent job in between the sticks but should have done better in preventing Maupay from scoring the winner.
Eddie Nketiah N/A
Came on for the tiring Lacazette during the final phase of the game. But, it was too little too late for the young forward.
Kieran Tierney N/A
A late replacement for Saka.
Joe Willock N/A
Replaced Ceballos in central midfield in the 87th minute.
Reiss Nelson N/A
Was introduced along with Tierney and Willock in the 87th minute as he replaced Pepe.
