Arsenal suffered a major blow in their pursuit of top four on Saturday after they were defeated by Brighton at the Emirates stadium.
A 2-1 loss was enough to condemn the Gunners to further problems in the race for Champions League football as Tottenham Hotspur eased past Aston Villa in the midlands. Although they picked up a late consolation through Martin Odegaard, Mikel Arteta's side fell victim to a 2-1 loss and are now in a difficult predicament moving forward.
Arsenal now sit fifth in the table, three points behind their arch rivals having played a game less. But with the North London Derby set to be played at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, it's going to be very difficult for Arsenal to takeover Spurs in the race.
Mikel Arteta and his players have been criticised in the press for yesterday's showing. So, with that in mind, let's take a look at some of what's been uttered by the media.
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The Guardian said: "While this defeat did not outwardly match Monday’s reverse at Crystal Palace for ignominy, it was just as bad. They only got going in the final 10 minutes and could not feel surprised when it was too late to turn things around; Mikel Arteta may have to field some blame himself for responding to unwelcome absences with a team selection that never looked balanced."
Meanwhile, The Express scrutinised the decision to play Granit Xhaka at left-back following Nuno Tavares' shocking display at Crystal Palace on Monday night: "Arteta chose not to back Nuno Tavares following his poor performance at Crystal Palace. He instead put Granit Xhaka at left-back in the Portuguese star's absence," they said. "However, it was clear from the start that the Swiss did not look comfortable out of position. Arteta could have put Saka at left-back if he did not think Tavares was up to the task.
"He realised he had made the wrong decision at half-time, putting Xhaka into midfield and Gabriel Martinelli in a wing-back role. Arsenal were better in the second half but it was a waste to start like he did."
The Telegraph continued with the theme that Arteta made a mistake by playing Xhaka at left-back. However, they did admit that the season is far from over: "Was this the week in which Arsenal’s bid for the top four fell apart? It is currently too early to say but it is certainly true that they looked a different, and much worse, team without Tierney and Partey. Arteta’s solution here was to play Granit Xhaka as a left-back (instead of usual deputy Nuno Tavares) and, it is safe to say, the plan did not work."
The Gunners need to respond by beating Southampton at St Mary's next Saturday. If they fail to gain all three points, their campaign could be in huge jeopardy.
