Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
James Robson

Arsenal player ratings vs Brighton: Gabriel Martinelli brighter than most as Bukayo Saka has little joy

Arsenal slipped up once again as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Brighton at the Emirates.

Goals from Leandro Trossard and Enock Mwepu put the Seagulls in control, as Arsenal failed to respond to their heavy defeat at Selhurst Park last time out.

Martin Odegaard pulled one back late on, but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback as Mikel Arteta’s side stumbled in the top-four race again.

James Robson was at the Emirates to rate the Arsenal players...

Aaron Ramsdale 5

Badly let down by his defenders for both goals. Decent command of his box otherwise.

Cedric Soares 5 

Brighton’s second came down his side. Arsenal simply too flimsy defensively and he was part of the cause.

Ben White 5

Like the rest of the Arsenal defence, he was completely caught out for Trossard’s goal. Could not do enough to improve build-up with his use of the ball from the back.

Gabriel Magalhaes 6

Used his height well for Arsenal’s set pieces. Close to scoring in the first half – and but for a marginal offside would have provided the assist for Martinelli’s ruled out goal on the stroke of half time.

Granit Xhaka 6

Very questionable why he was deployed at left back, which robbed Arsenal of one of their best ball-players in the middle of the pitch. His through ball to Smith Rowe in the first half was evidence of that.

Martin Odegaard 6

Frustrated by the lack of space he was afforded by Brighton and struggled to open up the visitors. Came to life in the final moments - forcing a brilliant save and then pulling one back.

(REUTERS)

Albert Sambi Lokonga 5

Overrun too often in the first half and struggled help Arsenal get a real grip in midfield. Improved in the second half as the home side enjoyed more possession.

Emile Smith Rowe 5

Nowhere near effective enough. Should have done better with one promising run into the box in the first half, but failed to make the keeper work. 

Bukayo Saka 6

Worked hard, but had little joy. His superb first half cross might have provided a goal for Gabriel, but did not open up Brighton enough.

Alexandre Lacazette 5

Starved of service – his best work was done when picking the ball up in deeper areas, but never looked like scoring.

Gabriel Martinelli 6

One of Arsenal’s better players and one of the few who looked like making something happen in the final third. VAR ruled out first half goal.

Eddie Nketiah (Smith Rowe, 62) 5

Had something of an impact. Hit the bar from close range when he should have scored.

Nicholas Pepe (Martinelli, 74) 4

Could not make a difference

Subs: Leno, Holding, Tavares, Elneny, Ogungbo, Swanson, Hutchinson

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.