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A game in Brighton that could be characterized by the definition of “enough contact”. That’s one way to describe it Arsenal temporarily move within five points of Liverpool, albeit with the knowledge that could extend to 11 with two games to playafter another discussion on the cost of the penalty decision Mikel Artetaside victory. They wanted to win 1-0, only for a William Saliba a headbutt attempt led to a collision with Joao Pedro, which was awarded as a penalty.
Arsenal were furious, especially as Saliba appeared to have touched the ball first. The inevitable complaint from fans was that it was a decision you only see against their club, but then it was also just a bizarre moment that you don’t usually see. Arteta did not focus on that aspect. He initially described the decision as “very disappointing”, before adding: “I’ve never seen a decision” – not a “moment” – “like this in my career”.
“I asked if they were boys and they said no.”
Admittedly, it is rare to have such headers. That meant it looked harsh, and probably wouldn’t have brought VAR intervention had it not been for a penalty early on.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler of course had a different opinion, describing it as a “pure penalty”. He claimed: “If it happens to another part of the body, like knee to knee, it’s just too late. That’s the problem. It’s late.”
The real problem for Arsenal is that the penalty ended up being awarded so all the discussion was just noise at this point. The fear will be deepened by the fact that this looked like another game where they were frustratingly pegged back in a way that seemed a little unnecessary, for whatever reason. It was such a campaign.
There was even a perception that this was as good a time as any to play Brighton, with Hurzeler’s side without a win in seven games. That, however, was given a slight lie, as five of them were draws.
This was another one, and Brighton’s attack meant they were decent for a point, the penalty debate aside. They created enough, and caused more fear for Arsenal than David Raya’s defense is used to. The ball flew dangerously over the Spanish goalkeeper several times.
Brian Gruda, Matt O’Riley, Simon Adingra and Yankuba Minteh could all score. Even Arteta spoke of how his team “lowered” their “standards” in the second half, which meant they couldn’t generate the same momentum.
That’s the other side of this. It was probably as good a time as any to play with Arsenal. Despite the growing winning streak they’ve been on, “the situation” – as Arteta described it – was already threatening to drag them back into the stop-start run of this campaign. The Basque was forced to start this game missing the entire first-choice attack. With Bukayo Saka already injured, illness eventually affected both Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz, while Gabriel Martinelli was not fit enough to start.
Arteta wanted to praise his players in the circumstances, which is in line with the season. He reiterated that his players deserve “enormous credit” for how they persevered through these problems.
The exciting Ethan Nwaneri may have had more than his due, with this looking like it would be his first Premier League game as an outright match-winner. It was all the better considering Thomas Tuchel was watching, in his first official job as England manager.
Arsenal started the game with some banter despite the absencesas illustrated when Mikel Merino and Declan Rice combined quickly to free the teenager. Nwaneri broke through on goal for a shot that went under the arm of Bart Verbruggen. The goalkeeper may have done better. Nwaneri did very well, another sign of his promise.
Arsenal, meanwhile, looked like they had done what they needed to do. Perhaps that is where the greater frustration should lie. They were 1-0 against a notoriously porous team, where Hurzeler so visibly likes to lead the charge. It seemed so well prepared for Arsenal’s approach, given how few chances they usually give up. It was only accentuated by the manner of Nwaneri’s goal, where Brighton’s defense looked like it was being held together by two players. They were so open, especially on the hips.
It’s a criticism that has been made much of Hurzeler’s Brighton, but perhaps more should be said about how his team adapts to it on a regular basis. That was the case in the 2-1 win over Manchester City, which Hurzeler discussed after the match. They really took it up a notch, amping up the intensity amazingly. And without Kaoru Mitoma, who could afford to rest given the strength of the attack in depth.
At the end of the day, it’s not just about Arsenal, as the pattern of the game showed. The result does raise a recurring question for Arteta’s side. There were too many games, a bit like this, where they tried to get away with an almost minimalist attacking approach.
Basque is right to point out a caveat about that, and the truth is that Arsenal constantly have to deal with a new problem, to go with another.
Rather than being the only explanation for how far they could finish behind Liverpool, it perhaps exposed an issue that is even more important given the transfer window. That’s how the team was recently formed. The last few windows have seen too much emphasis on defensive physicality, directly conditioning these approaches. It was striking that Brighton’s attacking options on the bench looked far more numerous and varied.
Arteta is said to know privately that his team needs more explosiveness. Arsenal would have gone for such a player in the summer, but they could not find the right option amid the profit cap and sustainability rules. The same issues apply now, with Arteta saying one game won’t decide transfers when the inevitable market question was raised. The real answer to that is that they spent a lot of budget on the same defensive physical force.
It has deepened the hole that is seen at times up front, which will be even more of a problem when you are missing players like Saka. Its absence reflects another problem that should not be ignored. Arsenal will end up missing two of their most productive strikers for long periods. It would affect every team.
And yet, those inside Arsenal would point out that their points return is just three short of this time last season, which was the exact point when they embarked on that long unbeaten run.
And now they could do the same, except the extent of the gap to Liverpool is a concern. Certainly not touching distance, making it barely enough contact.