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A game at Brighton that may well be characterised by the definition of “sufficient contact”. That’s one way to describe Arsenal temporarily moving to within five points of Liverpool, although with the knowledge that could extend to 11 from two games in hand, after another debated penalty decision cost Mikel Arteta’s side victory. They had been looking to grind out a 1-0 win, only for a William Saliba attempt at a header to bring a collision with Joao Pedro, that was adjudged to be a penalty.
Arsenal were furious, especially since Saliba seemed to touch the ball first. An inevitable complaint from supporters was that it’s the sort of decision you only see given against their club, but then it was also just a bizarre moment of the type you don’t usually see at all. Arteta wasn’t focusing on that aspect. He initially described the decision as “very disappointing”, before adding “I’ve never seen a decision” – not “a moment” – “like this in my career”.
“I asked if the boys had, and they said no.”
It’s admittedly rare to have headers like that. That did mean it appeared harsh, and probably wouldn’t have brought a VAR intervention if a penalty wasn’t initially given.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler naturally had another view, describing it as a “clear penalty”. He claimed: “If it happens with a different part of the body, like knee to knee, it’s just too late. That’s the problem. It’s late.”
The real problem for Arsenal is that the penalty was ultimately given making all discussion just noise at this point. The angst will be deepened by how this felt like another game when they were frustratedly pegged back in a manner that felt somewhat needless, regardless of the reason. It has been that sort of campaign.
There was even the perception that this was as good a time to play Brighton as any, given that Hurzeler’s side hadn’t won in seven games. A slight lie had been lent to that, however, since five of those had been draws.
This was another, and Brighton’s attacking meant they were decent value for the point, leaving aside the debate about the penalty. They created enough, and caused more scares for Arsenal than David Raya’s defence are used to. The ball dangerously flashed across the Spanish goalkeeper’s box a number of times.
All of Brajan Gruda, Matt O’Riley, Simon Adingra and Yankuba Minteh could have scored. Even Arteta spoke of how his team “dropped” their “standards” in the second half, that meant they couldn’t generate the same momentum.
That’s the other side of this. It was arguably as good a time as any to play Arsenal. Despite the burgeoning winning run they’ve been on, “the situation” – as Arteta described it – had already threatened to drag them back into the stop-start trudge of this campaign. The Basque was forced to start this game missing his entire first-choice attack. With Bukayo Saka already injured, illness ended up afflicting both Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz, while Gabriel Martinelli wasn’t fit enough to start.
Arteta was keen to praise his players in the circumstances, which has been in-keeping with the season. He again made a point of saying that his players deserve “huge credit” for how they have persevered through these problems.
The exciting Ethan Nwaneri may have had more than credit, given that this looked like it would be his first Premier League game as an outright match-winner. It was all the better given that Thomas Tuchel was watching on, in his first official business as England manager.
Arsenal had started the game with a bit of swish despite the absences, as illustrated when Mikel Merino and Declan Rice quickly combined to release the teenager. Nwaneri surged through on goal for a strike that went in under Bart Verbruggen’s arm. The goalkeeper might have done better. Nwaneri did superbly, in yet another sign of his promise.
Arsenal, meanwhile, had looked like they’d done what they needed. This is where the greater frustration should perhaps lie. They were 1-0 up against a notoriously porous team, where Hurzeler so visibly likes to front-load the attack. It seemed so well set up for Arsenal’s approach, given how few chances they normally give up. That was only emphasised by the manner of Nwaneri’s goal, where Brighton’s defence looked like it was being held together by two players. They were just so open, especially on the flanks.
That is a criticism that has been said of Hurzeler’s Brighton a lot, but more should perhaps be made about how his team regularly adapt to it. It was like this in the 2-1 win over Manchester City, which Hurzeler did discuss after the match. They really raised it, admirably upping the intensity. And that without Kaoru Mitoma, who could afford to be rested given the attacking strength in depth.
This isn’t just about Arsenal, after all, as the pattern of play indicated. The result does raise a recurring issue with Arteta’s side. There have just been too many games, a bit like this, where they have tried to get away with an almost minimalist attacking approach.
The Basque is right to point to the caveats around that, and it is true that it’s like Arsenal constantly have to deal with a new problem, to go with another.
Rather than being a sole explanation for how far they might end up behind Liverpool, it might have exposed one issue that is all the more relevant given the transfer window. That is how the squad has recently been fashioned. There has been too great an emphasis on defensive physicality over the last few windows, directly conditioning approaches like this. It was striking that Brighton’s attacking options on the bench looked far more numerous, and varied.
Arteta is said to privately know his team needs more explosiveness. Arsenal would have moved for such a player in the summer, but they couldn’t quite find the right option amid the profit and sustainability restraints rules. The same issues apply now, as Arteta said one game wouldn’t decide transfers when asked an inevitable question about the market. A fair response to that is they’d spent a lot of the budget on that same defensive physicality.
That has deepened a hole that is occasionally visible up front, which is going to be all the more of a problem when you miss players like Saka. His absence reflects another problem that shouldn’t be overlooked. Arsenal are going to end up missing their two most productive attackers for long spells. It would affect any team.
And yet those inside Arsenal would point to how their points return is only three off this time last season, which was the exact point when they went on that long unbeaten run.
They could yet do similar now, except the worry is over the extent of the gap to Liverpool. It certainly isn’t touching distances, which makes it barely sufficient contact.
