In this week's top sports news from Eurospredict, Brighton & Hove Albion made history today at the Amex Stadium by defeating Premier League rivals, Arsenal, 3-0. The result is significant because it ends an impressive unbeaten run for the Gunners and provides proof that there is no such thing as "easy" games in the Premier League.
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, will likely look back upon this loss with a sense of pride knowing that every Premier League opponent poses challenges. Brighton played with a level of skill and confidence that kept Arsenal's players under constant pressure throughout the entire match.
Unlike many opponents of Arsenal, Brighton was able to both protect their own defense and create scoring opportunities on the other end of the field. The home side's ability to attack consistently forced Arsenal defenders to make mistakes through sheer fatigue. As a result, Brighton created multiple chances to score and took full advantage of each opportunity presented to them.
Arsenal ultimately fell behind after being pressured into making defensive lapses. Each time Arsenal did lose possession of the ball due to these lapses, the home side would immediately move the ball forward into a position where they could potentially create another chance.
Brighton's first two goals were scored within a matter of minutes of one another, which ultimately gave the visitors little time to adjust or regain momentum. Despite the 1-2 deficit, Arsenal was still very much involved in the match at that stage.
However, once the second half began, Brighton continued to apply relentless pressure. When Arsenal attempted to mount a comeback, Brighton's defense proved to be strong enough to absorb all of the visitors' attempts. Once the Gunners' offense was unable to generate any more momentum, Brighton simply used a counter-attack to add its third goal.
Roberto De Zerbi's team dominated the majority of the match using an effective combination of tactics and strategy. His team pressed heavily to prevent Arsenal from creating scoring opportunities. While Arsenal managed to dominate possession of the ball in several segments of the match, De Zerbi's team did everything possible to disrupt their flow of play.
This type of tactic has been successful for many teams around the world in recent years. Teams have learned how to successfully use quick transitional passes to bypass teams that try to possess the ball for long periods of time.
De Zerbi's team applied tremendous pressure in the center of the pitch by constantly closing down space and limiting Arsenal's ability to distribute the ball to its forwards. With each pass attempt being closed down by the opposition, Arsenal found itself struggling to advance the ball upfield.
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