Arsenal score win in weird Brighton rivalry with hosts looking toothless

Tuesday night saw 16th place in the Premier League host 15th.

At this point of the season, it's not shocking to see Brighton close to the relegation zone. For all their patience and elegance on the ball, little of it is punctuated with genuine goalscoring threat. When they concede late on through a moment of ill-judgement, like they did at West Ham having led twice in the game, it's not exactly surprising.

Arsenal's form, however, has been surprising and shocking. The run throughout November and December has had fans tearing their hair out, with a select few who shall remain nameless swearing and effing and jeffing with all the cohesion of a cow trying to explain to a commuter when the next train at a station is due to arrive, all the while screaming 'ARTETA OUT'.

But Tuesday night offered up a few other intriguing pre-match storylines. An odd rivalry has emerged between Brighton and Arsenal, giving a tasty edge to a match already hugely important for both sides' prospects.

The Seagulls had taken 11 points from their six Premier League matches against the Gunners before the midweek clash, doing the double over the north Londoners last season. Neal Maupay scored in both fixtures and was the pantomime villain at the Amex in June, clattering into Bernd Leno and causing the goalkeeper to be stretchered off before scoring the winner in the 95th minute.

The former Brentford star also wound up Matteo Guendouzi to the point where the pair came to blows after the match. Guendouzi didn't play for Arsenal again during the closing stages of the 2019/20 season and was loaned out to Hertha BSC in October.

On paper, 16th versus 15th is never one to look out for. Maybe at the end of Match of the Day if you haven't fallen asleep yet.

But with Arsenal's poor form - somewhat addressed by their 3-1 victory over Chelsea on Boxing Day - and Brighton's strangely excellent record against them, Tuesday night was not a fixture to miss. Or at least that was the initial thought before the game.

The teams unsurprisingly stunk of festive period rotation - Brighton lining up without a recognised striker with first league starts of the season handed to Bernardo, Alexis Mac Allister and Davy Propper, and Arsenal offering young talent like Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka the opportunity to provide the fit again Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with chances up front.

Despite the changes made by Graham Potter, it was the Seagulls who made headway first, keeping possession ticking over and providing chances for Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Dan Burn. The Gunners, alternatively, sat back and looked to counter with the pace Martinelli, Saka and Aubameyang all offered on the break.

The opening sequences of the first half were filled with the two teams feeling each other out, though Aubameyang's presence in a central role did make the Gunners feel more threatening, even if they often failed to pick out the promising runs he and his fellow attackers were making.

We know Arsenal are in a rut, and it's certainly a lot nicer to see the youthful trio behind Aubameyang rather than the likes of Willian or Nicolas Pepe, but the threat wasn't there. They were outshot eight to one in the first half, and had a little bit of luck gone against them would have been heading down the tunnel a goal down.

Yves Bissouma was the one standout player from that opening period, constantly looking assured on the ball and hoovering up anything loose.

A change in approach saw Arsenal receive more of the ball in the second half, and their quick, zippy play saw them rewarded when Saka left Dan Burn for dead and fed substitute Alexandre Lacazette, who curled in at the near post for his fifth Premier League goal of the season.

With Arsenal asserting themselves more, Brighton crept back into their shell. Playing striker-less for over an hour was always going to blunt their offence, and going a goal down meant Maupay was introduced for the final 25 minutes.

Unfortunately for the hosts, whose attacking threat was largely limited due to a lack of movement up front, he couldn't make the difference.

It's an odd rivalry, especially for one that's been born in a time where there are no fans to witness the sparks flying, but this was a more sedate affair than June's clash. Arsenal kept their heads after a poor opening period to come back stronger and win through Lacazette's strike.

Job done for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, who move up to 13th. Brighton, however, are stuck in 17th following Burnley's win over Sheffield United, and with no wins since November and without a regular goalscorer, relegation is looking an ominous prospect.

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