After losing 0-3 to Brighton in round 36, Arsenal gave Man City the chance to be crowned Premier League champions in the next round.
Man City's 3-0 win at Everton in the early game seemed to have affected the mentality of Mikel Arteta's team. Arsenal played without determination, squandering three good chances in the first half and then collapsing with three goals in the second half.
Many fans even left the Emirates Stadium after seeing their team concede the second goal. They had been dreaming of winning the Premier League for the first time since the 2003-04 unbeaten season under legendary manager Arsene Wenger. But Arsenal shot themselves in the foot by dropping points in five of their last five games, while Man City won their last 11 to put the race all but over.
Arsenal players were disappointed after conceding the first goal in the 51st minute. Photo: Sunsport
With 248 days, Arsenal will become the club to have led the Premier League for the most days without winning the title, if they do not win the title this season. The previous record belonged to Newcastle under Kevin Keegan with 212 days in the 1995-1996 season, but still lost the title to Man Utd.
Arsenal are currently second with 81 points, four points behind Man City, having played one game more. The Manchester club will defend their title if they beat Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in the next round on May 21. At that time, coach Pep Guardiola's team will be seven points ahead of Arsenal with two games left in the season.
Yesterday, Arsenal were without left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko due to a calf injury. In the 20th minute, the home team continued to suffer losses when Gabriel Martinelli was injured after a dangerous tackle by Moises Caicedo and was replaced by Leandro Trossard.
Trossard replaced Martinelli who was injured and could not continue playing from the 20th minute. Photo: Reuters
In the first half, the Gunners did not dominate but created many opportunities. In the 24th minute, Martin Odegaard passed the ball to Gabriel Jesus who escaped and finished from a tight angle but was blocked by goalkeeper Jason Steele with his foot. Five minutes later, Trossard dribbled the ball from the left wing into the penalty area and then shot against the crossbar. The first half ended with Bukayo Saka's left-footed volley that missed the post.
Arsenal paid dearly for their squandered chances in the second half. In the 51st minute, Pervis Estupinan crossed from the left wing for Julio Enciso to head home from close range to open the scoring. Slow motion replays showed that Jakub Kiwior - the player marking Enciso - was stepped on by Evan Ferguson's heel and fell to the ground. However, referee Andrew Madley did not blow the whistle and the VAR team did not intervene.
Julio Enciso headed in the opening goal for Brighton as Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior was injured and kneeling on the pitch. Photo: Reuters
Arsenal's hopes were ended in the 87th minute when Trossard's mistimed pass found substitute Deniz Undav, who calmly adjusted the ball and chipped it over goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
The match had eight minutes of added time, but it only prolonged the pain for the home fans. In the sixth minute of added time, Undav's shot from outside the box failed to beat Ramsdale, but Estupinan swooped in to score a cross-angle goal, scoring his first goal in the Premier League and sealing a resounding 3-0 victory.
Arsenal have conceded 23 goals at home in the Premier League this season. Only in the 2019-20 campaign, when they conceded 24 goals, have the Gunners conceded more in a single season since moving to the Emirates.
Line-up
Arsenal : Ramsdale, White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Tierney, Odegaard (Smith-Rowe 77), Jorginho (Nelson 60), Xhaka (Partey 60), Saka, Jesus (Nketiah 77), Martinelli (Trossard 20).
Brighton : Steele, Gross, Dunk, Colwill, Estupinan, Caicedo, Gilmour (Welbeck 60), Enciso (Undav 82), Mac Allister, Mitoma, Ferguson (Buonanotte 77).
Hong Duy
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