Winners and Losers: Brighton (h)

It has been a terrible week for Arsenal, and probably one we will look back on with regret. On Saturday, Brighton defeated Arsenal 1-2 at the Emirates. Arsenal doubled down on the poor performance that saw them lose 3-0 against Crystal Palace, allowing Brighton to overrun them in midfield and go two goals ahead despite only scoring once in their previous seven games. With Spurs (or at least, two of their players) in free-scoring form, the Gunners’ top four hopes suffered greatly. It may well be that this was the week that spelled doom on that front. Below are the Winners and Losers from another disappointing outing.

Winners

Thomas Partey

With Partey out injured, Mikel Arteta opted to deploy Sambi Lokonga as the six in the 4-3-3. Unfortunately, the young Belgian proved unable to control the midfield the way Partey had prior to his unavailability. It just goes to show how key the Ghanaian is to the way Arsenal plays, and how so much of Arsenal playing well relies on No. 5 having a good game. His return is a must if Arsenal are to continue fighting for a Champions League position.

Eddie Nketiah

With Lacazette making no impact in his last few matches, Nketiah may be beginning to play himself into contention. While the Frenchman finished the match with seven passes and no shots, the young Englishman was involved in two big chances after coming on in the 62nd minute. It is clear now that Arsenal need goals if they are to finish in the top six, let alone remain in the fight for top four. Nketiah looks much more capable of providing that than the current starter.

Losers (not named Alexandre Lacazette)

Nuno Tavares

It remains to be seen whether his Arsenal career is over, but Tavares’ season certainly seems to be. Granit Xhaka was preferred to Tavares at left-back and when that didn’t work, Martinelli was deployed at left wing-back while the Portuguese defender remained on the bench. Even at a crucial moment in the season, Arteta clearly refused to trust the man signed to be understudy to Kieran Tierney. And that is as damning as it gets.

Emile Smith Rowe

Smith Rowe completed a rare poor showing on Saturday. The academy product repeatedly looked flat-footed, was absent in his defensive duties, and failed to make an impact offensively. As exciting as it was to see the “fab four” on the pitch together, deploying Smith Rowe as a left-sided eight looks like a non-starter at this juncture.

Mikel Arteta

Arteta has enjoyed an impressive few months. But after losing Partey, the manager has failed to adjust. Against Brighton, he got his team selection wrong, once again making the mistake he made last year and opting for Xhaka at left-back instead of a more mobile player. That led to Sambi playing alone in midfield, which resulted in Brighton’s domination of the pitch for most of the match. Arteta arguably cost his team the match with his decisions. Now, with the season on the line, he needs to maximize his remaining players, regardless of system. The question is, though, can he?

Arsenal’s top four chances

Entering last week, Arsenal were marginally ahead of Spurs in the top four race. Now, after losing two of the easier matches in their schedule while Spurs romped their opponents consecutively, the two sides are neck and neck. Unfortunately, Arsenal appear to have blown a tire while Spurs are on fire. And the latter’s run-in looks far more straightforward. With no points from six against Palace and Brighton, possibly their most important player out indefinitely, and their archrivals poised to end the season on a tear, Arsenal’s once-strong chances of earning a Champions League place appear to be slipping through their fingers.

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