Winners
Manchester City
Well, it’s straightforward for the champions now. Beat one or Chelsea, Brighton and Brentford and the title is all there’s.
After their dominant win away at Everton, a place where Arsenal came unstuck at, it highlighted just how composed and brilliant they are even without starting the likes of Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne. A model for Arsenal to consider this summer when they look to reinforce the squad.
Moises Caicedo and Brighton
If you want to audition yourself for a summer move, that was about perfect. Yes, he was responsible for the challenge that ended Gabriel Martinelli’s game and potentially his season, but footballing-wise he was awesome.
READ MORE: Arsenal vs Brighton highlights: Encisco, Estupinan and Undav score destroy Gunners title hopes
He and his side put on one of the best away performances of the season. They were able to suffocate Arsenal from playing their game and despite some fortune were clinical when the chances eventually came to take the lead and then the points.
Reiss Nelson
The only Arsenal player who can really be present in this section is Reiss Nelson. Another substitute performance and another impressive contribution and the man who looked the most dangerous in the few chances Arsenal got the ball after he came on.
Talks continue over a new contract after it was reported the first offer was turned down. Based on these displays, clubs beyond just Brighton will be queueing up to sign the winger on a free this summer.
Losers
Ben White
A day not filled with mistakes or defensive errors, quite simply Kaoru Mitoma showed the England international the definition of a world-class dribbler at the very top of his game. This is perhaps where Mikel Arteta would like a faster alternative in the role who can keep up with the Japanese international’s pace and his peers.
It won’t take away from the season that White has had overall, but it may raise questions about his suitability against specific opponents. With the Champions League coming, having competitive alternatives in every area is important.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
It felt wrong to say Kieran Tierney was a “loser” in this game as his performance was decent and he was unfortunate at times. However, it is perhaps the lack of Oleksandr Zinchenko that highlighted the biggest deficiency in the team.
Take out Zinchenko along with William Saliba and you effectively remove Arsenal’s top two progressive players. Many have spoken about the defensive vulnerabilities Zinchenko’s inclusion raises, however, there’s little that can be denied regarding how the Gunners lacked his impact on the team’s build-up.
The Arsenal fans
It is most gutting for the supporters. The promise of two seasons to overachieve looks again likely to end in disappointment.
It creates this strange dynamic where the expectation at the start of the campaign doesn’t then match the outcome reflected on how those expectations changed. Is it unfair to judge them in this way? Perhaps.
If Man City win their final three games it won’t have mattered what Arsenal did today, or even against the likes of Southampton and West Ham. It shows however plainly what Arsenal need to do and it’s going to be expensive.
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