Paul Merson believes Brighton deserve enormous credit for the way they dismantled Arsenal at the Amex, arguing that the Seagulls played a major part in making Mikel Arteta's side look so poor.
As we saw in our Brighton 3-0 Arsenal match report , the Gunners struggled to establish any control and were comfortably second best for much of the afternoon.
Speaking on Soccer Saturday, in comments published by Sky Sports , Merson focused particularly on Brighton's intensity and Arsenal's inability to play through their press.
"Arsenal struggled badly. Brighton really closed them down and went after them. They wouldn't let them play out and they won the ball back consistently. They broke the press probably twice all day, Arsenal.
"The first goal put more air in Brighton's lungs and they just kept going and going. They thoroughly deserved it."
That assessment goes some way towards explaining why Arsenal looked so uncomfortable throughout the game.
Rather than allowing Arteta's players time to settle into possession, Brighton continued to pressure them and repeatedly regained the ball.
(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Merson was also keen to ensure the focus was not entirely on what Arsenal did wrong.
"We've got to give credit where credit's due. Arsenal weren't great but Brighton made them not look great. They were outstanding."
That is an important distinction.
Arsenal undoubtedly produced a poor performance, something Arteta himself made very clear after the final whistle , but Merson believes Brighton deserve recognition for forcing many of those problems.
Perhaps most disappointing was Arsenal's failure to produce any meaningful response after half-time.
Merson added:
"You thought Arsenal would come out second half and have a go, they didn't. Chema and Kostoulas were outstanding. Kostoulas caused Konsa and Gabriel nightmares."
For Arsenal, the challenge now is to ensure this remains one terrible afternoon rather than a performance that provides opponents with a template for disrupting Arteta's side.
What do you think, Gooners? Were Arsenal simply poor, or do Brighton deserve even more credit for making the Gunners look so uncomfortable? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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