Premier League 2019-20: Arsenal 1-2 Brighton - 3 Reasons why the Gunners lost 

#1 Arsenal’s defensive deficiencies laid bare for everyone to see, again

Arsenal were at sixes and sevens at the back

Over the past decade, Arsenal have earned themselves an infamous reputation of boasting a soft touch and a side capable of wilting under the slightest bit of pressure. Though that aspect seemed to be on an upward trajectory during spells of Emery’s reign, it swiftly came crashing down when things turned sour under the Spaniard.

And, on Thursday, those deficiencies were laid bare for everyone to witness as the Gunners fell to the proverbial sucker punch in the second half.

The hosts dominated the game after the restart but weren’t able to create enough clear-cut chances as Brighton kept holding a deep defensive line. Subsequently, the Gunners tried to force the initiative, meaning that they left gaps at the back.

On one such instance, Mooy popped up on the right flank, cut inside Hector Bellerin and whipped in a delicious cross for Maupay. The striker did the rest as he arched his neck to perfection, thereby placing the ball into the bottom corner.

Apart from the goal, the hosts always looked vulnerable in transitions whereas their defending from set-pieces also left a lot to be desired. Webster’s goal in the opening 45 minutes was the 10th Arsenal had conceded from set-plays this term, a stat that Ljungberg might want to introspect, moving forward.

More worryingly though, there were countless occasions where the home side lacked any sort of defensive structure. Whenever Lucas Torreira involved himself with offensive movements, he wasn’t backed defensively by any of his teammates, meaning that there was a lot of space to capitalise on in midfield.

In addition, David Luiz’s propensity to retreat and not play an aggressive defensive line contributed to Connolly, Maupay and Mooy enjoying the time to turn and churn out decisive passes.

Through the 2019-20 season, Arsenal have been quite shambolic and there has been no evidence to suggest that the aforementioned trend might come to an end. And, if that wasn’t enough, they are finding ways to create new problems each game, to supplement their much-documented issues.

And, unless they find a cure to those ailments, the Gunners would find themselves on a slippery slope to mediocrity, provided they haven’t already.