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It was another sombre evening for Arsenal as they lost to Brighton for the first time in 36 years. The Gunners also broke another record of their own, losing four consecutive games for the first time in 16 years.
Brighton took the lead in the 7th minute and less than 20 minutes later, the Seagulls doubled their lead through a goal from Glenn Murray. Aubameyang found the net for the Gunners before the first half ended. However, Brighton held on strongly till the end to ensure victory.
Here's how the Arsenal players fared in the tie...
Petr Cech: 4
Still, in search of his 200th clean sheet, Cech failed to deal with a corner, allowing Lewis Dunk to score in the process.
For an experienced goalkeeper like him, he should have saved the second goal easily. His clearances throughout the game were poor and Arsenal often found themselves in trouble.
The dejected goalkeeper looked lost sometimes and he has been particularly weak when it comes to set-pieces. He needs to get better at them to stop his team from conceding soft goals.
Calum Chambers: 5
Chambers struggled to keep Ezequiel Izquierdo quiet throughout the match and just like any other player in an Arsenal shirt, had a game to forget.
When defending set-pieces, there was hardly a single player who jumped and competed for the ball, including Chambers. He ought to be more aggressive in his approach.
But as the match progressed, he did look more composed and certain of what he should be doing. He became more confident of his game despite misplacing his passes frequently.
Laurent Koscielny: 6
It was an average display from the captain, and in the Premier League, average displays from individual players are not good enough. Koscielny seemed to be extremely low on confidence but as the captain, he ought to push his team to have more positivity.
The highlight for him was the opportunity where he almost scored an equaliser for his team at the stroke of half-time, but his header was just wide.
Shkodran Mustafi: 6
It was a relatively busy night for him and his team-mates who had to deal with an aggressive Brighton attack. Mustafi was probably the only defender who went in for the challenges, which was a positive take away from the game.
He could have done more in Brighton's second goal but amidst all the negativity around the team, he put in a decent display as compared to some of his counterparts.
Sead Kolasinac: 5
Not the sort of performance Arsenal would expect from a left-back since Nacho Monreal has set high standards in the team.
Kolasinac almost didn't care about his defensive duties. While attacking, he looked a bit lost and waited far too long to pass to his teammates. At times, he succeeded in passing the ball to the attacking midfielders but was poor overall.
Granit Xhaka: 6
Similar to other players, he had an average game. He was better defensively this time around, working to help Kolasinac defend the back. His usual powerful left foot has failed to create any problems at Brighton this afternoon. He should have done better with his free-kicks and be more objective in his passes forward.
Like all other players, he is fond of making passes sideways. That is not what Arsenal needs now. Arsenal needs players who can bring the ball forward quickly and find players accurately.
Jack Wilshere: 5
Wilshere had one of his worst performances in the first-half. He gave possession away too easily and too many times. Besides giving away possession, he was too impatient and inconsistent in the first half.
He made a big improvement in the second-half of the game, getting himself into the good positions. He seemed ready to burst forward with his runs and passes, but the whole team was not on the same page.
Wilshere deserved some applause for his hard work in the second-half but the damage in the first half had already been done.
Alex Iwobi: 4
Iwobi had a disappointing night unlike the previous occasion when he scored against Brighton at home. He barely contributed much to the game besides making safe passes. This should not be seen from a player like him who's best ability is driving forward. He works hard and has potential, but he is not making good use of the talent he has.
Mesut Ozil: 5.5
From kicking the ball away when it was a throw-in for Brighton to slamming the ball down as he prepared to take a corner, it was clearly visible how angry and disappointed was. While he saw more of the ball when compared to their last two games against Manchester City, he didn't really create much.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 6.5
Mkhitaryan can't be blamed for not working hard this time. The January signing barely put a foot wrong in the game and tried hard to make things happen.
He was one of the better performers in attack. Mkhitaryan showed the eagerness in getting forward quickly and Arsenal need more of that from their attackers collectively.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 6
Unlike the games against Manchester City, Aubameyang had better service and managed to get his name on the scoresheet. Although he could have scored one or two more goals in the second half, the goal that reduced the deficit is exactly what he needed to get his confidence up.
At times, the ball is moved too slowly for his liking, to the wrong side of him or far too ahead of him. The team needs to improve this in order for Aubameyang to do what he was doing at Dortmund.
