Arsenal's 3-0 defeat by Brighton defied belief - this result should send a warning to the rest of the Premier League, writes ISAAN KHAN

· DailyMail

ISAAN KHAN AT THE AMEX STADIUM: Even those with a particular liking to Arsenal would struggle to utter positive terms. The Seagulls had pecked holes through each Arsenal player.

Timid and shell-shocked. Bullied, even. Rarely have such negative words been attributed to Arsenal in recent times.

Even those with a particular liking to Mikel Arteta ’s team would struggle to utter more positive terms. By full-time, the Seagulls had pecked holes through each Arsenal player, and Arteta’s tactical sheets.

The score ended 3-0. Though, on another afternoon, four or five nil would have been more fitting. Even the typically composed Declan Rice decided to boot Malick Yalcouye in frustration seconds before the full-time whistle, somehow escaping a red card.

This was a Gunners display synonymous with their side from four or five years ago, when the Spaniard had started paving the building blocks towards a Premier League title competing side.

What transpired here on the south coast defied belief. All teams can have an off day. No side is truly unbeatable in this league, even if the hype around Arsenal had reached silly levels because of the sheer frailties of the other Big Six members.

Yet, the manner in which Fabian Hurzeler’s relentless Brighton team had run straight through the visitors sent a warning to the league. This season’s champions is not a foregone conclusion. Far from it.

Right from the start, Arsenal were completely at sea. David Raya’s passes were laced with panic, many reaching his team-mates with too much power; a few even breached the touchline. That is a rare sight indeed.

The backline looked nervy. The midfield were being cut through at will. The frontline were hidden.

Pascal Gross, one of Brighton’s many in-form players, had struck on 31 minutes to set the rout off. He received the ball outside the area, Arsenal’s backline dropping off, as if to say, ‘Go on, try, your luck’.

He did just that, lashing the ball with pace towards goal, rebounding off the bottom-right post and into the net. Riccardo Calafiori was the main culprit. He should’ve stepped forward to challenge. Still, it was an excellent strike befitting a man in red-hot form. Gross now has seven goal contributions across all competitions this season.

Diego Gomez’s strike before half-time followed a similar pattern, the backline dropping off. He passed to Charalampos Kostoulas, who swivelled outside the area and struck past Raya from 25 yards out.

Another goal was to follow, courtesy of Chema Andres from a Gross corner kick. Yet by the end, the Brighton players were queuing for their turn to strike at goal like kids at a half-time football challenge.

Substitute Matt O’Riley had his one-on-one shot saved by Raya on 89 minutes which Yalcouye latched on to hit the crossbar, for example.

Brighton deserve enormous credit, a side which outfought, outthought and outran Arsenal. Not many sides in recent times can claim as such.

Having warded off a clawing by the Black Cats, Arsenal had a pecking by the seagulls to overcome.

The animosity around Hurzeler’s comments last season, where he criticised Arsenal’s style of play, may have been forgiven by Arteta though the German was in no mood for a friendly-natured fixture.

The Premier League’s best attack v best defence, thus far, was the billing. Brighton started fiercely on the front foot. Diego Gomez stayed on Calafiori like a hare, refusing to give him an inch.

Each time the ball arrived on the flank within the first ten minutes, Gomez was on the Italian’s foot.

The home side had registered three attempts – one on target – within the first ten minutes, illustrating how front-footed they had set up.

In truth, Raya’s pass out of play on two minutes had set the tone for an afternoon only going in one direction.

It took until 18 minutes for Arsenal’s first attempt at goal, Bruno Guimaraes’ cross-shot whacking the side netting.

When Gross struck, an inevitability had been felt. There was a general sloppiness across the pitch, the Arsenal midfield struggling to string passes together.

The Gunners had nearly grabbed a goal back on the cusp of half-time, Martin Odegaard marching forward on a counter-attack.

His shot, saved by Bart Verbruggen, rebounded into the path of Bukayo Saka who could only scuff his attempt.

The winger hit the turf face down, in dismay at his profligacy. By the time he had looked up, Brighton were in the opposite half.

Gomez latched on to a pass and drove forward, supplying Kostoulas. He swivelled outside the area and struck past Raya from 25 yards out.

Whatever transpired in the Arsenal dressing room, it clearly didn’t work. It will have been some scene, nevertheless, Arteta expectedly incensed at what he had watched from a team stamping their authority on the league – not just chasing three points.

A win here would have been an eighth consecutive win across all competitions, equalling the club’s 123-year record for their best start to a campaign.

That quickly became clearly unattainable. Raya’s first action of the second period was to hoof the ball out of play, an early sign that Arsenal were not going to improve anytime soon.

Ferdi Kadioglu fell to the deck under pressure from Calafiori, referee Darren England waving away the penalty call.

Later, Gross’s corner found the head of Andres to put Brighton three goals ahead, the midfielder rising above Gabriel and Calafiori to head home.

Kai Havertz found himself one-on-one with Verbruggen on 78 minutes, Viktor Gyokeres’ clever chipped pass finding the striker.

He should have scored – but the ball rebounded off Verbruggen’s leg.

Nothing went Arsenal’s way on a day which sent a warning across England’s footballing fraternities.

Read the original

People in this story

Related