Mikel Arteta wasn’t able to put further pressure on Liverpool in the title race as Arsenal failed to hold on to the lead against Brighton
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side could only grab a 1-1 draw against Brighton as the Seagulls fought back late.
Arsenal’s opening goal came from 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri. The teenage sensation picked up a pass from Mikel Merino and dashed towards the Brighton box before forcing the ball underneath Seagulls keeper Bart Verburggen’s legs.
A collision of heads between Joao Pedro and William Saliba awarded Brighton a penalty in which Pedro himself tucked it away passed David Raya. The Seagulls then continued to fight for a winner but failed to grab it.
As Arteta fails to secure a vital victory in regards to the title race, The Daily Star has taken a look at what the Spanish manager got right and wrong.
Created a superstar out of Nwaneri
Two years ago, Arteta played then-15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri in a Premier League game. This made the teenage prospect the youngest player to appear in the top flight of English football.
The now-17-year-old is repaying his Spanish manager for his kind gesture by playing some fantastic football. In only his second ever Premier League start, he scored his second Prem goal of the season.
Although the absence of Bukayo Saka will have hurt Arsenal fans, the rise of Nwaneri in his replacement has certainly lifted their spirits. It was also a bonus that Thomas Tuchel was watching from the stands.
Kept faith in Mikel Merino
Mikel Merino hasn’t had the easiest of starts at the Emirates. The highly experienced midfielder was brought to north London for £31.6m – and it seems finally Gunners fans are seeing his true worth.
After scoring against Brentford on New Year’s Eve, Merino continued his streak of mid-fielding excellence with an assist at the AMEX Stadium.
A month ago, the Spaniard was only getting around 20 minutes of play time per match. Now, he seems like a certified starter. Arteta simply never lost faith in his player.
Put Trossard in the deep end
It was always going to be hostile for Leandro Trossard facing his former club Brighton. The question was if the 27-year-old was going to cave-in to the boos and heckles.
If anything, all they seemed to do was charge the Belgian international up. Trossard was a nuisance all game for the Brighton defence down the left-hand side.
Whether he cut inside our outside, his next point of play was almost always a dangerous one.
Gave away poor penalty
Arsenal spent an hour closing off the passing lanes to Joao Pedro. It makes sense as the Brazilian is a danger in front of goal.
But all was undone after a bizarre penalty was awarded to Brighton. There was no real tackle or challenge from Saliba, instead, a missed header that ended up connecting with Pedro.
Raya ended up diving the wrong way and it was a simple finish for the Brighton striker. Arsenal were doing so well holding off Brighton, but a silly penalty gave that all up.
Took off Nwaneri
After the stellar first-half for the teenager, Nwaneri was sure to be pumped to get back on the field for the second 45-minutes. However, this didn’t happen. He was instead subbed for Gabriel Martinelli.
Gunners fans made their opinions clear on this tactical change with many confused as to why Nwaneri was subbed off. The attacking threat seemed to dissipate when he left the pitch.
Whether he is injured is unknown. If he isn’t, Arteta will surely have a lot to answer for as the 17-year-old looked the most alive player in the Gunners squad.