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Arsenal came away with a point from the Amex Stadium as Brighton held them to a 1-1 draw in the Boxing Day encounter. Brighton's home record was identical to Arsenal's fortunes on the road, so a draw seemed a fair result in the end.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring with a sublime curling effort in the first half, as Arsenal started the game strongly. But Brighton came into the game and drew level before half-time. Stephan Lichsteiner failed to clear and Jurgen Locadia pounced to make it 1-1.
Both teams had a go in the second half, but neither failed to alter the scoreline. Brighton held for the point which kept them in 13th place, comfortably above the drop zone. Chelsea's win over Watford meant that Arsenal dropped two points below the top four. They are currently six points above Manchester United in fifth place. Brighton, on the other hand, are locked in a mid-table battle.
Here are the major talking points from the game.
#5 Ozil's future at Arsenal in serious doubt
A new manager normally spells problems for some players, and Mesut Ozil seems to be one of those. Since Emery's arrival, the German has been on the periphery most of the times, and the future does not look promising.
Against Brighton, he was hauled off at half-time, due to tactical reasons solely. His failure to track Jurgen Locadia for the goal could be one of the reasons why. Ozil has not adopted to Emery's style, and his work rate and defensive contributions have not been up to the mark. The likes of Alex Iwobi, Aaron Ramsey, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have adopted better, and have played more minutes as a result.
Ozil has started just 11 games in the league, and he has been benched when fit as well. Despite the curtailed minutes, he still has created the most chances for Arsenal. His wages and contract place Emery in a sticky spot, and he will have to make a decision on Ozil sooner than later.
#4 Injuries have ravaged Arsenal defense
Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal, Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Rob Holding. The list goes on, like wounded soldiers on duty. It is the defenders sidelined for Arsenal, and the number is not showing signs of dwindling.
Holding is out for the season with a knee injury. Monreal and Mustafi are sidelined with thigh problems. Mavropanos has been out for a long time, and Bellerin is still recovering from a foot problem. To compound the misery, skipper Koscielny hobbled off the pitch against Brighton.
The likes of Xhaka and Lichsteiner have been used at centre-back, but it has not looked promising. Arsenal have conceded 7 goals in their last 4 games, as their unbeaten run was ended. Many of them have been sloppy to concede. Simply put, Emery needs his defenders fit and firing if Arsenal is to be at their best.
#3 Emery's substitutions fail to make an impact
Unai Emery has made bold changes to his team in games this season. More often than not, they have paid off for him. Against Brighton, however, it was the opposite.
At half-time, Emery took Mesut Ozil off for Alex Iwobi. Then he brought on Aaron Ramsey for Alexandre Lacazette on the hour mark. These moves arguably blunted the Arsenal attack. They missed Ozil's creativity and Lacazette's presence up front. Arsenal had 6 shots in the first half but had only 1 attempt after the interval. That speaks volumes about the substitutions.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles did make a positive impact after coming on, but it was too little too late. It's not a crisis by any stretch of the imagination, but Emery needs to get Arsenal back on track. A visit to Anfield is the perfect opportunity to do so next time.
#2 Brighton continue their strong home form
Since they arrived in the Premier League, Brighton have always been formidable at the Amex Stadium. Chris Hughton's men have claimed a total of 62 points, since last August, out of which 44 have come at home. Quite polarising, right?
A similar story has unfolded this season, as 68% of the points have come at the Amex. Hughton has identified this strength and he has played to it. Against Arsenal, Brighton overcame a poor start. They got into the game as time elapsed and had chances of their own to snatch the three points.
The likes of Jurgen Locadia and Solly March had decent opportunities to give Brighton the lead, but they failed to do so. Even then, they are now 10 points clear of the relegation zone, and much of it has been down to the home form.
#1 Poacher supreme Aubameyang takes the center stage yet again
Since joining the Gunners in January, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored 23 goals in 29 Premier League appearances. His 13 strikes this season have been crucial to Arsenal, and he leads the pack in the Golden Boot race.
The Gabon international is one of the best poachers around. He does not drop deep much and doesn't involve himself too much in the build-up play. But he gets into the right positions every time and finishes off chances with unerring precision. The goal against Brighton exemplified exactly that. He received the ball in the box and curled an impeccable strike past Matt Ryan.
Aubameyang's goals will be vital for Arsenal as Unai Emery's side will push for a top-four finish. Just give him chances, and he will deliver. A half-chance will do just as well, as Brighton will attest to.
