Stalemate in Brighton as Gunners are Unable to Score

The 7th round of the English Premier League (EPL) saw Arsenal draw at Brighton’s Amex Stadium in a goalless game.

It was a bit of a cold shower for the Arsenal fans watching their team struggle against Brighton after winning last 3 games in a row in the EPL. Mikel Arteta’s squad had a hard time getting on the ball, and even when they had it they couldn’t connect in the grim rainy conditions. 

Their biggest chance of the game came in the 23rd minute after Arsenal’s top young man Bukayo Saka made a good run on the right wing and crossed over two Brighton players right on top of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s head. But the Gabonese striker only managed to put it into the post and Brighton defenders quickly cleared it away from danger immediately after.

Arsenal’s attacks throughout the match looked rather harmless in comparison to Brighton’s chances, but at least their defence seems to be doing well as they managed to keep the clean sheet. 

“It’s a point gained because I don’t think we deserved anything more than that,” Arteta commented after the bout. “If we did deserve the point it’s because we defended well in the last 15 minutes. We never felt in control of the game, we struggled to break the press and impose ourselves in the final third.”

Brighton spent most of the match on top of Arsenal. They moved the ball around well, and when they lost it they quickly pressed their opponents trying to win it back. “We played with real courage and intensity against a top team,” Brighton’s manager Graham Potter said. 

Potter’s team had more than a few clear goal-scoring chances. Brighton centre-back Lewis Dunk had an empty net in front of him early on in the game after Arsenal’s goalkeeper Ramsdale wasn’t able to secure the ball in his hands, but Dunk slipped and fired it into the stands. 

Another great chance awaited Brighton winger Leandro Trossard after his teammates beautifully passed the ball through Arsenal’s defence, but the winger only managed to tip it over the crossbar.

Arsenal clearly have a lot to think about and to work on as they currently occupy 9th place in the EPL with 10 points. Brighton are deservedly 5th with 14 points, though Manchester City are only 1 point behind with a game in hand.