'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Arsenal hosted Brighton & Hove Albion on matchday 7 of the Premier League on the back of an emphatic 4-2 win over BATE Borisov in the Europa League. The Arsene Wenger led side that had missed out on a Champions League spot last season by 1 point had begun the season poorly before stringing together a series of impressive performances to improve on their league position.
It was Nacho Monreal who scored a rare goal in the 16th minute to put the Gunners ahead and while Solly March came very close to restoring parity in the 23rd minute, it was not to be. An Alexis Sanchez back-heel pass in the Brighton box in the 56th minute presented Iwobi with an opportunity to score and the Nigerian forward did not fail to oblige.
Here are the 5 key talking points from the game between Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion.
#5 Arsenal are putting the bad start to the season behind them
After having begun the Premier League season with a come from behind win against Leicester, Arsenal lost consecutive games to Stoke City and Liverpool, thus sending their fans into a meltdown. However, their subsequent performances in games against Bournemouth, Chelsea, West Brom and Brighton have actually propelled the North-London club into the 5th spot with 13 points.
While they remain 6 points behind the league leaders Manchester City, they are now only a point away from their cross-town arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur and have surely steadied the ship that seemed to be going down not a long time ago.
Yes, we agree that they were not at their entertaining best against Brighton in a game that many expected Arsenal to win comfortably, but it is perhaps the kind of result that many Arsenal fans would love.
In the past, the Arsene Wenger managed side was often criticised for not being able to grind out wins and while they were not pushed to their limits by Brighton, they were contained for a long period of time during the game and yet managed to eke out the all-important 3 points.
#4 An interested Alexis Sanchez is the news Arsenal fans desperately needed
If there is one Arsenal player who grabbed the headlines with his performances in the game against the Seagulls, it is Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean superstar had endured a tough summer in which he was not allowed to leave the Emirates despite expressing his desire to do so and the last few games had seen him put in subdued performances.
However, that was not the case on Sunday evening. Alexis seemed invested in the fortunes of the Gunners and that might perhaps be music to the ears of the club’s fans. The 28-year-old created 8 goal scoring opportunities in the 90 minutes that he spent on the pitch and constantly poked and probed a disciplined Brighton defence to force the game in the favour of his side.
It was only fitting that his backheel pass found its way to Alex Iwobi for Arsenal’s 2nd goal of the game and now that Alexis has finally contributed directly to an Arsenal goal in 5 appearances this season, teams that have to play Arsenal after the international break will be wary of the threat that the player brings along with him.
#3 Arsenal missed Mesut Ozil
While many Arsenal fans do not miss an opportunity to criticise Mesut Ozil for failing to add to the defensive presence of the side, this game was perhaps another reminder of how important Ozil remains to the Arsenal set up.
Brighton were a disciplined unit at the back against the Gunners and despite dominating the opening stages of the game, Arsenal found it tough to penetrate the Brighton defence. One of the reasons was the absence of Ozil’s creativity.
We noticed various runs behind the Brighton defence that could have turned threatening if there was a creative force behind the Arsenal attack. However, the likes of Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey failed to pick the right pass and that kept the scoreline respectable for the visitors.
It remains to be seen if Mesut, who was sidelined for the game against Brighton due to an injury, will remain an Arsenal player post the current season. However, his importance cannot be overemphasised as the Gunners will be presented with better defences in the games to come and will need the German to unlock them.
#2 Questions should be asked of Chris Hughton with regards to his desire to win the game
While the scoreline was rather respectable towards his side, especially away from home, questions must be asked of Chris Hughton’s desire to garner a point from the game. The Seagulls had already fallen 2 goals behind before 60 minutes and yet, Hughton waited until the 76th minute to introduce the attacking duo of Glenn Murray and Anthony Knockaert.
While the duo failed to alter the scoreline, they did show potential of their abilities in a rather limited period of time and one could be forgiven for believing that Brighton could have had a chance against a below par yet comfortable Arsenal had the duo started the game.
Knockaert and Murray alongside the suspended Tomer Hemed spearheaded Brighton’s promotion to the Premier League last season having scored 49 of the 74 goals scored by the club yet only Hemed has found consistent playing time in the current season despite the side struggling to replicate their goalscoring feats of the last season.
Hughton must now revert to placing his trust on the trio the delivered the goods for him last season and while it may take them a few games, it could prove to be the move that changes the club’s fortunes in the current season.
#1 Brighton must improve their form away from home
Like every promoted team, Brighton too currently run the risk of being involved in a lengthy relegation battle. Yet, what must be worrying the Brighton fans the most currently is the side’s inability to churn out positive results in away games.
The Seagulls have failed to pick up any wins in the 5 league games that they have been involved in thus far in the season across all competitions and while their home record has been pretty tidy (3 wins in 4 games across all competitions), the side will need to learn to pick up points away from home in order to secure their status as a Premier League club, especially with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal yet to visit them.
While we did not envisage that they would pick up a point against the Gunners, they failed to threaten and were largely contained to their own half. Hughton will need to ensure that his side are a bit more adventurous going forward, especially in the away games to come or they could run the risk of being classified as a club that is mincemeat away from home.
