In a major setback to Arsenal's aspirations of clinching the Premier League title, they suffered a devastating 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion at their home ground.
The loss came just hours after Manchester City secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Everton, further widening the gap between the Gunners and Pep Guardiola's side. With this defeat, Arsenal now find themselves trailing City by four points, having played one more match than the league leaders.
Throughout the game, the home side struggled to assert themselves and were consistently outplayed by their spirited opponents. The early injury to Gabriel Martinelli, who fell victim to a harsh challenge from Moses Caicedo, added to Arsenal's woes. Martinelli was forced off the pitch, making way for Leandro Trossard, who came close to scoring against his former club but hit the woodwork instead.
Under the guidance of Roberto De Zerbi, Brighton exhibited a greater attacking threat and enjoyed more possession. They created numerous scoring opportunities, with Julio Enciso missing two clear-cut chances, while Evan Ferguson failed to find the target from a close range.
It was Brighton who eventually broke the deadlock early in the second half when Pervis Estupinan delivered a cross that found an unmarked Enciso, who headed the ball into the net.
Despite Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta making tactical substitutions, introducing Thomas Partey and Reiss Nelson, the Gunners' finishing remained lackluster and failed to make a significant impact on the match.
To compound Arsenal's misery, it was a Brighton substitute, Deniz Undav, who sealed victory for the Seagulls. Undav capitalized on a mistake from Trossard, deftly lobbing the ball over goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. In injury time, Estupinan delivered the final blow.
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