Arsenal’s faint hopes of winning the Premier League were all but destroyed when they were routed at home by Europe-chasing Brighton and Hove Albion by a score of 3-0 on Sunday. Brighton and Hove Albion are currently in second place in the Premier League.
Arsenal, the longtime leaders of the league, knew that in order to keep their position, they needed to secure a victory, since tenacious Manchester City had just won at Everton in the earlier kickoff to go four points ahead.
They were outplayed in the second half as Julio Enciso, Deniz Undav, and Pervis Estupinan scored for Roberto De Zerbi’s side, who moved up to sixth position in the standings as a result of the victory. However, they gave a labored performance against the clever south coast club.
Arsenal’s former Brighton attacker Leandro Trossard hit the crossbar in the first half, but the Gunners were depressed after Enciso scored in the 51st minute, and they appeared crestfallen when Undav floated the ball over Aaron Ramsdale in the 86th minute.
In the dying seconds of the game, Estupinan scored the game-winning goal for Brighton, much to the pleasure of the club’s supporters, who may soon be able to see their club’s debut in European play.
Arsenal now sits on 81 points with two games remaining in the Premier League, compared to City’s 85 points with three games remaining. A win for Pep Guardiola’s team next Sunday against Chelsea would clinch City’s sixth title in the last six seasons.
However, if Arsenal suffers a defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, they could be able to clinch it before then. There are still four games left for Brighton, but they already have 58 points.
When Arsenal’s supporters heard of Manchester City’s earlier triumph against Everton, which was City’s 11th consecutive league win, there was a sense of resignation in the air as they made their way towards the Emirates Stadium. This was City’s 11th consecutive league win.
As Brighton established the pace of the game with their controlled passing game, Arsenal’s performance appeared listless in comparison.
Arsenal’s attacker Gabriel Martinelli went down with an injury in the middle of the first half after he was unable to shrug off the affects of a heavy tackle by their opponent, Moises Caicedo. This did not assist Arsenal’s cause.
The Brazilian was taken out of the game and replaced by Trossard, who had the best opportunity to break the tie just before halftime but his effort hit the crossbar instead.
The captain of Arsenal, Martin Odegaard, hammered a shot that was just wide of the goal, and Bukayo Saka did the same thing in the first-half stoppage time, but Brighton dominated possession and were always a threat, with Enciso having two great chances to score.
The home supporters attempted to energize their squad, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Six minutes after the halftime break, Brighton attacked along the left side of the field. After Estupinan’s initial cross into the area was blocked, he then hoisted a ball into the area for Enciso to head in. The atmosphere became dismal.
Arsenal’s attempt to counter was never convincing, and they ended up shooting themselves in the foot when Ramsdale threw the ball out to Trossard and his flick deflected back toward goal, allowing Undav plenty of time to dink a lob into the net.
Estupinan then put the frosting on the cake for Brighton, guiding in a rebound after Ramsdale had parried Undav’s powerful attempt. At this point, Arsenal was in shambles, and Brighton was well on their way to victory.