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Eddie Nketiah’s sweet finish gave Arsenal false hope as the Gunners seemed to be on the ascendancy before the Seagulls unleashed their venom led by Ghana's new boy Lamptey.
Japanese attacker, Kaoru Mitoma completed the turnaround just before the hour mark and Tariq Lamptey added some gloss. This result meant that Arsenal’s 12-match winning run at the Emirates
came to an end.
“Losing is disappointing but the way the boys tried tonight, and played with the amount of changes we had to make because of the congestion, I’m really happy with that,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said. He felt the result “doesn’t reflect what happened on the pitch”,
Arteta had retained only William Saliba from the weekend victory over Chelsea while Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi made eight changes. The Brighton side on show was one filled with a lot of youthful energy.
The young Ecuadorian Jeremy Sarmiento, was terrific throughout and there were other outstanding performances sprinkled throughout the team.
Arsenal started the game brightly and 20 minutes in, Nketiah, received a perfect pass from the impressive Reiss Nelson and swept a splendid first-time finish past Jason Steele. The expectation from that point was for the Gunners to push for another goal before half time. However Brighton stayed calm and were good value for their equalizer.
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It was a moment for Karl Hein, the debutant Arsenal keeper, to forget. Hein brought down Welbeck in the box after slipping when attempting to cut out a through ball. Welbeck stepped up and dispatched the penalty confidently.
Nketiah hit the post with a long-range effort in the 49th minute before Steele produced a fine save to keep out Nelson's goal-bound header. The failure to convert those chances proved costly for Arsenal.
As the hour mark approached, Brighton, who never seemed overwhelmed by the occasion took the lead through Mitoma. He received a pass on the left and cut inside on his right foot before finding the far corner.
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Brighton got a third goal not long after. Tariq Lamptey received a pass from Billy Gilmour and burst into the area before slipping past Hein to send Arsenal packing.
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