Arsenal player ratings v Brighton: Ben White torn apart by Kaoru Mitoma as Gunners title hopes go up in smoke

Mikel Arteta’s side suffered a heavy defeat at home to the Seagulls, who nearly handed the Premier League trophy to Manchester City

Arsenal nearly saw their slim title chances end in a painful 3-0 loss to Brighton on Sunday. After seeing Manchester City win at Everton earlier today, the Gunners knew they couldn’t afford to make a mistake if they wanted to keep the pressure on Pep Guardiola’s side.
But Julio Enciso’s close-range header early in the second half and two late goals from Deniz Undav and Pervis Estupinan were enough to give the visitors three earned points and a huge boost to their own European hopes.

The loss leaves Arsenal four points behind City with just two games to go. Guardiola’s side have one more game to play and will claim the title next weekend if Arsenal lose at Nottingham Forest on Saturday or City beat Chelsea the next day.

Goalkeeper and Defense.

Aaron Ramsdale (4/10):

He made a good stop in the first half, he couldn’t do anything with the opening goal. Maybe he shouldn’t have played the ball to Trossard ahead of second and could have done better with the first shot for third.

Ben White (3/10):

He really fought against Mitoma. I just couldn’t do it. One of his toughest days of the season.

Jakub Kiwior (5/10):

He clearly got kicked on the back of the ankle for Enciso’s goal, but it was odd to see him hit the ground considering where the ball was.

Gabriel Magalhaes (5/10):

Given a tough time by Ferguson. It was a real physical battle.

Kieran Tierney (5/10):

He couldn’t come forward like he wanted.

midfield

Jorginho (5/10):

Robust enough in a scrappy game.

Xhaka Granite (5/10):

I tried to move forward, but the midfield was very busy.

Martin Odegaard (6/10):

Probably Arsenal’s best player. He seemed to push his team forward, but this time he couldn’t make the difference. It was a surprise to see him leave.

Attack

Bukayo Saka (4/10):

A good opportunity wasted in the first half. After that it had little effect.

Gabriel Jesus (4/10):

In the first half, an attempt by Steele was denied. In the second half, you looked frustrated.

Gabriel Martinelli (N/A):

Injured very early.
Subcontractors and managers

Leandro Trossard (5/10):

Early for Martinelli. Was sharp but probably could have done better with a shot that hit the bar. It was his deflected pass that led to Brighton’s second goal.

Rip Nelson (6/10):

Another brilliant cameo. An attempt has just failed.

Thomas Partey (5/10):

Couldn’t really help Arsenal gain control. Emile Smith Rowe (N/A):

No real impact in the last 10 minutes.

Eddie Nketiah (N/A):

Didn’t see much of the ball after being substituted late.

Mikel Arteta (5/10):

A frustrating day crowned by a yellow card for protesting. His late changes didn’t really help.

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‘I’m afraid to say it’: Gary Neville not impressed with £20m Arsenal star after what he did against Brighton.

Sky Sports commentator Gary Neville was unimpressed by Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior with what he did when Brighton scored against the Gunners.
Arsenal know they need to win every remaining game to have any chance of winning the Premier League. They have slipped a lot lately and it looked like it would happen again in the match against Brighton.
They lost 1-0 midway through the second half and really struggled to keep pace with Brighton. They came out passed and played. With Manchester City relentlessly on the road to success, it seems the title is not in their hands, no matter what they have done in recent games.

When Arsenal conceded their first goal against Brighton, striker Evan Ferguson accidentally stood on top of Kiwior’s feet. Instead of continuing to play, the £20m defender went down, leaving Julio Enciso unmolested. The striker had a free header and scored the first goal.

Commenting on Sky Sports during the match, Neville said: “I mean, I’m afraid to say it. I’m sure the studio guys will tell. Roy (Keane) and Patrick (Vieira) will tell. When you are injured, you are injured, but a central defender. You need to get up and complete the attack.

No doubt that moment would have massively frustrated Mikel Arteta. To make matters worse, Brighton scored two more goals and Arsenal lost 3-0.

This meant that the Gunners would be unable to win Manchester City if they won all their remaining matches. Even if it wasn’t mathematically over, the loss would make it seem like it was.
It was still a promising season for Arsenal, but many will wonder what might have happened if some of their players hadn’t made mistakes.
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