Arsenal were dealt another severe blow in their pursuit of a Champions League finish, suffering a third defeat in a row in yesterday's disappointing 1-0 loss to Southampton.
The Gunners dominated proceedings with the ball throughout the first half and should have opened the scoring through Bukayo Saka, but the talented Hale End graduate's strike inside the box was denied by Fraser Forster. Against the run of play, the Saints took the lead in the 44th minute courtesy of Jan Bednarek, with the Polish international scoring his fourth goal of the season.
A similar pattern was noticeable throughout the second half in Mikel Arteta's men controlling the game and keeping Southampton camped deep within the own half. But despite the north Londoners creating chances, Forster continued to frustrate the away side, making multiple crucial saves in key moments.
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The result leaves Arsenal sixth in the current Premier League standings, behind both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United - although they have both played a game more. But what will frustrate the Gunners is their inability to capitalise on Spurs' earlier slip up in the lunchtime kick-off.
Yesterday, Brighton made it two wins on the bounce following an impressive performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Leandro Trossard grabbing the all-important goal in stoppage time. After the game, manager Graham Potter was quick to praise his side's efforts and shared a small joke. "It was only fair that if we beat Arsenal we had to go to Spurs and beat them," he said in his post-match interview.
And the official Brighton & Hove Albion account on Twitter did not hold back either. A tweet after the game read: "North London is ours."
Arsenal will hope that they can stem the bleeding in their next league encounter on Wednesday, as they take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in what looks set to be an interesting London clash. Meanwhile, Spurs will hope to get back to winning ways next Saturday as they travel to face Brentford in the evening encounter.
