Arsenal’s Premier League title aspirations suffered a significant blow on Sunday as Brighton delivered a stunning 3-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium.
This defeat effectively ends Arsenal’s hopes of clinching the title and paves the way for Manchester City to be crowned champions in the upcoming week.
Earlier in the day, Manchester City secured a comfortable win against Everton, putting them in a prime position to claim their fifth title in the last six seasons.
If Arsenal loses to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, City will secure the trophy. Alternatively, any other result in that fixture would give City the opportunity to seal the title in front of their home fans against Chelsea the following Sunday.
Following City’s victory, Arsenal faced Brighton in a match that had to be a make-or-break moment for their title ambitions.
However, the Gunners were unable to rise to the occasion as Brighton, seeking redemption from their recent humiliation by Everton, responded emphatically.
What really happened?
In a fiercely contested match, Julio Enciso opened the scoring for Brighton with a close-range header from Pervis Estupinan’s cross.
The goal came after Jakub Kiwior went down when Evan Ferguson accidentally stepped on his boot, leading to a debate among the Sky Sports pundits.
While Roy Keane expressed skepticism about Kiwior’s decision to go down, Micah Richards argued that it was a foul committed by Ferguson.
Brighton continued to dominate the game, frustrating Arsenal, who grew increasingly desperate.
Deniz Undav capitalized on a loose pass from former Brighton forward Leandro Trossard, lobbing the ball over Aaron Ramsdale to deliver the knockout blow.
Estupinan then sealed the victory by prodding home the rebound from Ramsdale’s weak save, igniting wild celebrations on the south coast and in Manchester.
While Arsenal’s players were left dejected, Brighton and their supporters can now look ahead with optimism, as they have a chance to secure European football and potentially even contend for a Champions League qualifying spot.
Their next test will be against Newcastle on Thursday, a match that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
As Arsenal’s title hopes crumble, it is evident that they will need to regroup and refocus for future campaigns, while Brighton revels in their impressive triumph, dreaming of European glory.