Arsenal ran out to a comfortable 3-0 win against Brighton as goals from Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard put the Seagulls to the sword in Sussex.
Though Roberto De Zerbi’s side had their chances in a largely even first half, the gulf in quality between European challengers and genuine title contenders in the Gunners told massively by the end.
The dagger in the heart of Brighton fans was former player Trossard’s finish to make it three, which killed all hope of making it a contest.
After 90 minutes which enthused the London side but left the hosts feeling blue, there was much to discuss at a crucial stage in the season.
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Brighton show too much respect
First of all, Brighton should be given credit for being offensive when possible in the game’s early stages.
Tariq Lamptey and Simon Adingra were linking up beautifully on the right as Arsenal left plenty of space open in the first 20 minutes, while Julio Enciso easily could have beaten David Raya with a characteristically dangerous long shot at 1-0.
After the break, though, the rate at which the Seagulls dropped off was drastic.
From the 57th minute, in fact, De Zerbi’s side had just one shot.
This paled in comparison to the nine shots they fired in up to that point, and served to further frustrate Brighton fans, who have had much to bemoan in the last few weeks as speculation over De Zerbi’s future has overshadowed performances on the pitch.
Indeed, Brighton’s most positive forward in this meeting was taken off at a crucial stage in the game.
Enciso had four shots before being replaced by Facundo Buonanotte in the 63rd minute, with this change coinciding with João Pedro’s introduction in place of Jakub Moder.
Afterwards, Brighton just could not cope with Arsenal’s pace and poise.
The Seagulls looked a shadow of their usual selves in terms of mentality, playing within themselves and losing the ball far more easily than they should, leaving onlookers wondering whether the squad has lost belief since exiting the Europa League last month.
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Arsenal shut down outside noise
After the much-discussed carnage of their run-in last season, Arsenal are currently looking laser-focused in their pursuit of a first Premier League title since 2003-04.
Ahead of this meeting, there was talk about whether the Gunners would be able to replicate the levels shown in a 0-0 draw against Manchester City last weekend, and also about whether key man Saka would have any involvement after a recent muscle injury.
In this title hunt, Arsenal are the outsiders; the only team not to win a Premier League under their current manager, let alone a league title within the two decades.
Mikel Arteta does not have the same luxury of experience that Pep Guardiola or Jürgen Klopp do as managers and has shown frailty supporting his side through pressure moments previously.
If that is affecting his players in any way right now, though, they did not show it at the Amex Stadium.
The Gunners rode their luck at times, being so open early on, but recovered superbly to put their stamp on the match with a perfectly executed game plan which forced Brighton to pass the ball aimlessly in defence and midfield for much of the game.
Indeed, 51.3% of Brighton’s touches in this contest were taken by their defenders and goalkeeper, while just 17.8% were taken by their front four – including starters and substitutes.
By contrast, Arsenal got the ball to their three forwards much quicker, with Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah taking 25.6% of their side’s touches in the game.
They never dawdled in defence, and their intensity in the moments when Brighton tired told by the full-time whistle.
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Verbruggen closes goalkeeper talk
After a season spent in and out of the starting XI, Bart Verbruggen has been almost constantly intertwined in a complex ménage à trois.
Roberto De Zerbi clearly loves Jason Steele’s footwork and mental strength, but has been swayed by Verbruggen’s obvious physical suitability and superb shot-stopping.
It really is a love story for the ages – and like any good threesome, two of the participants are in gloves.
With four straight starts for his club, and five appearances in the last month if you include his latest cap for the Netherlands, Verbruggen is finding himself becoming the favourite on both fronts.
He made another four saves in this contest and was not disgraced by any of the Arsenal goals, with a penalty and two goals going past him where his defence was horribly organised.
For now, it looks like the 21-year-old has ownership of the starting berth in De Zerbi’s side.
His defence may still be learning how to play with him compared to their comfortability with Steele, but given Brighton’s fight for a European place appears to be slipping away from them, perhaps they can play with more freedom in games with a little less at stake.
Of course, Verbruggen would love to be part of another European crusade, but with his immediate future safe at Brighton, he should not be as disappointed as other teammates if it does not come next season.
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Arteta revels in depth
Some fans may think it is discussed too often, but it is blatantly true that at this stage in the Premier League season, strength in depth really does tell.
Manchester City’s tireless exploits have told us this much for years, and Arteta has built that knowledge into his operation at Arsenal, where recruitment has been reactive to his needs, bringing in a host of top-quality players whose performance levels remain the same despite rotation.
Case in point; Leandro Trossard.
The little Belgian arrived with such confidence and verve on the pitch in Sussex and was evidently energised by the mixed reception he received from his former supporters.
The nature of his divorce from Brighton is well-documented, but Trossard had the last laugh in this contest by racing away to finish the game, with only young Carlos Baleba retaining enough energy to even keep up with the super sub.
Brighton’s substitutes, by comparison, showed exactly why De Zerbi was not keen to risk them being involved from the start; Buonanotte was uninspiring, Pedro still looked a little rusty after his hamstring issue, and Ansu Fati was anonymous in a 15-minute cameo with just 12 touches.
These are high-quality players for Brighton, but they simply did not have an impact on the game in the way that Arsenal’s box-fresh options did.
It speaks volumes about the Premier League’s unbreakable inequality that two highly talented forwards who have recently been linked to Brighton – Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson – have only played bit-part roles in Arsenal’s season, and neither were involved at the Amex.
Smith Rowe was an unused substitute and Nelson was out of the squad entirely after his first Premier League start in over three years in midweek.
On one-off occasions, Brighton might have the chance of overturning this inequality.
Over the course of a season, ‘teams like Brighton’ have no chance.
