Tag: Brighton & Hove Albion

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Brighton 1-1 Chelsea: Tuchel’s worst winless run continues

Chelsea’s worst winless Premier League run under Thomas Tuchel was extended to four games as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Brighton and Hove Albion on Tuesday. 

Tuchel’s side missed a chance to quickly close the gap to leaders Manchester City, who beat the European champions 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to go 13 points clear. 

Hakim Ziyech put the Blues ahead in the first half at the Amex Stadium, but Brighton restored parity through an unmarked Adam Webster in the 60th minute. 

Chelsea were unable to bring an end to their worst top-flight run under Tuchel by finding a winner, with Brighton earning an impressive point. 

Brighton started positively and pressed Chelsea well, but Danny Welbeck spurned their best opportunity when he failed to connect with the ball in the six-yard box. 

However, Chelsea took the lead in the 28th minute when a speculative Ziyech effort got the better of Robert Sanchez and found the bottom-right corner.

The Seagulls made a strong start to the second period and drew level on the hour mark when Webster powered a header home from Alexis Mac Allister’s corner. 

Romelu Lukaku made a brilliant dart in behind to latch onto Antonio Rudiger’s lofted throughball but was thwarted by the onrushing Sanchez, with the Blues having to settle for a draw.

After a run of three wins in nine games in all competitions across December and January, Chelsea looked to have got back on track by beating Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-finals and thrashing Chesterfield in the FA Cup. 

However, on the south coast they were unable to bounce back from the disappointment of defeat at City, which effectively brought an end to any faint title hopes they may have had. 

Tuchel has been frustrated by the performances of Chelsea’s attackers this season and Lukaku did little to appease him here. Although he supplied two key passes, he had just eight touches in the first half and only managed one shot on target in the whole game. 

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TOTTENHAM CLASH WITH BRIGHTON POSTPONED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

Tottenham’s Premier League game at Brighton on Sunday has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak at the north London club.

Thirteen first-team players and staff have tested positive for the virus, leading to Thursday night’s Europa Conference League clash with Rennes being called off.

And now Sunday’s trip to the Amex Stadium will not go ahead after the club’s request for a postponement was accepted by the Premier League club.

A statement read: “We can confirm that our Premier League fixture at Brighton & Hove Albion, on Sunday 12 December at 2pm, has been postponed following a Premier League Board meeting this afternoon (Thursday).

“The Premier League Board took the decision to postpone the game following guidance from medical advisers, with the health of players and staff the priority. The fixture will be rescheduled in due course.

“The Club requested the match to be rearranged following a significant number of positive COVID-19 cases among players and relevant staff.

“As with our other affected fixture, against Stade Rennais in the Europa Conference League, we shall update supporters with more information as soon as it is available.

“We should like to apologise to everyone at Stade Rennais and Brighton & Hove Albion and to both their supporters and ours for any inconvenience caused.”

Next Thursday’s Premier League match at Leicester also appears to be in doubt not only because of Spurs’ situation, but because the Foxes are gripped by Covid-19 as well.

As of Wednesday lunchtime Spurs had not contained the outbreak as players who had tested negative the day before were then testing positive having mixed with the squad.

Boss Antonio Conte was visibly emotional in his press conference to preview the Rennes game on Wednesday, saying the situation was serious and that he was scared.

“The problem is that every day we are having people with Covid,” Conte said.

“People that yesterday weren’t positive, today were positive and we continue to have contact with people we think are negative but the day after become positive. I think this is a serious problem.

“The situation is serious and it is contagious and there is a big infection and now for sure we are a bit scared because tomorrow we don’t know what happens.”

The postponement of further games is going to cause significant scheduling problems for Tottenham, having already had a Premier League game with Burnley called off because of snow.

Discussions regarding the rescheduling of the game with Rennes are ongoing with UEFA, with rules stating there is a December 31 deadline for group games to be completed, but it is understood there could be some room for manoeuvre on that as Spurs have a packed domestic schedule before then, while Rennes go on a winter break on December 22.

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MAUPAY’S OVERHEAD KICK SNATCHES LAST-GSAP POINT AT WESTHAM

Neal Maupay’s spectacular late equaliser ensured West Ham’s Brighton hoodoo struck again in a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium.

Maupay’s overhead kick a minute from time means West Ham are still waiting for a first Premier League win over the Seagulls after nine attempts.

The Hammers looked to have finally beaten their bogey team as they led through Tomas Soucek’s first-half header.

But Brighton had other ideas and finally put one of their chances away to deny the hosts victory yet again.

This had the feel of a big match in the context of West Ham’s lofty aspirations this season, having clung on to fourth place despite successive defeats on the road against Wolves and Manchester City – and with leaders Chelsea the visitors on Saturday.

Alarm bells may have started to ring had Brighton taken the lead inside two minutes, but Maupay fired across goal and wide from close range after a defensive mix-up allowed Yves Bissouma to stroll into the penalty area.

Instead, West Ham went ahead in the fifth minute through a familiar routine.

Seagulls boss Graham Potter admitted beforehand that he was wary of West Ham’s threat from set-pieces, yet from the first corner of the match Pablo Fornals crossed to the near post where Soucek was allowed to leap unchallenged and glance the ball into the net.

It was almost two when Michail Antonio headed Vladimir Coufal’s cross back across goal to Fornals, whose volley crashed against the underside of the crossbar.

Brighton’s cause was not helped by losing two players, Jeremy Sarmiento and Adam Webster, to injury in the first half.

But one of their substitutes, Solly March, almost created an equaliser when he played in Maupay, who in turn fed Jakub Moder in front of goal, but his shot was well saved by fellow Pole Lukasz Fabianski.

The problem in the first half was as stark as it had been in the 0-0 draw against Leeds on Saturday, when they were booed by some of their own fans – Brighton simply could not find the net.

After the break March had a cross deflected over and Lewis Dunk headed the corner straight at Fabianski, before West Ham were denied a second by a lengthy VAR check.

It looked like a job for cricket’s snickometer to prove for certain whether the ball had brushed the ankle of the offside Antonio as it was bundled in from a corner, but the goal was eventually chalked off.

Jarrod Bowen squandered a chance to kill Brighton off when his shot rolled past the far post and late Robert Sanchez saves kept Declan Rice and Antonio at bay.

They were to prove costly as the clock ticked down and Brighton sub Tariq Lamptey stood up a cross which Maupay expertly hooked home to frustrate the Hammers yet again.

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BRGHTON PEG BACK LIVERPOOL AT ANFIELD

Brighton came closest of any opponent in six months to ending Liverpool’s 24-match unbeaten run as Graham Potter’s side recovered from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Anfield.

After last week’s demolition of Manchester United, the sight of the hosts establishing what appeared a comfortable advantage after only 24 minutes thanks to Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane appeared to spell trouble for the Seagulls.

However, pre-match Jurgen Klopp had said he expected a tough examination and that is what he got as Enock Mwepu’s first Premier League goal just before half-time was followed by a Leandro Trossard equaliser and in fairness Brighton had better chances to win it from that point.

Part of their success was becoming only the second team this season after Burnley – here in August – to stop Mohamed Salah find the net as his 10-match goalscoring run was brought to a halt with his only chance seeing an effort ruled out for offside.

Credit must go to the visitors, and their manager, who never cowered in the face of Liverpool’s pressure and had by far the better of the second half to be fully worthy of their point.

They are in good company as only title contenders Chelsea and Manchester City have left Anfield with anything other than a defeat this season and to have Liverpool’s nerves jangling as they did in the last 20 minutes was an indication of how their focused and committed approach paid dividends.

It was a complete turnaround from the opening 45 minutes when confidence exuding from every Liverpool player meant even a couple of early Brighton scares with Solly March breaking clear and an Yves Bissouma shot – both dealt with by Alisson Becker, tipping the latter onto a post – did not affect their performance.

An early goal helps and when Virgil Van Dijk’s pass out to the right isolated Salah against Marc Cucurella, the Egypt international weaved one way and then the other before cutting back for Henderson to plant a side-footed finish past Robert Sanchez.

With Roberto Firmino dropping deep to link play with quick lay-offs and one-twos, Klopp’s side produced some quick, incisive passing moves which had Brighton chasing shadows.

Firmino was guilty of unnecessary over-complication when he tried to lob Sanchez from 14 yards after Mane and Naby Keita had combined but there was nothing but an efficient simplicity about the second goal.

Keita, who had recovered quickly from being carried off at Old Trafford last Sunday, lasted 19 minutes but his replacement Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made an immediate impact.

Within five minutes of coming on his inviting cross dipped at just the right angle to drop between Brighton’s two centre-backs for Mane to head home his fourth in five league matches at Anfield.

A sprawling Lewis Dunk blocked Firmino’s shot while VAR denied Mane a second when the Brighton centre-back put his goalkeeper under pressure under his own crossbar and he was only saved when replays showed the ball had bounced up off Mane’s body and onto his arm before going in.

And the hosts sustained a double blow when Mwepu whipped an angled effort up and over Alisson to reduce the deficit just before half-time.

Salah’s hopes of scoring in an 11th successive match were dashed by an offside flag early in the second half but much of the fluency had gone from their game as Brighton pushed back with some success led by the indefatigable former Red Adam Lallana.

With Liverpool no longer in full control nor creating the chances they did before the break, Brighton sensed they had an opportunity and they duly seized it.

The way the hosts were carved open down their left will have infuriated Klopp, and it resulted in Henderson and Oxlade-Chamberlain having a heated exchange about who was at fault for allowing Lallana the time and space to tee up Trossard in the 65th minute.

The momentum was all with Brighton and Trossard was denied what he thought was the winner, which on their second-half performance would not have been undeserved, by an offside flag.

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CARABAO CUP: LEICESTER THROUGH TO LAST EIGHT AFTER BEATING BRIGHTON ON PENALTIES

Leicester reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup with victory over Brighton in a penalty shoot-out on an emotional night at the King Power Stadium.

Wednesday’s tie fell on the third anniversary of a helicopter crash at the stadium, which killed the club’s chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others.

A crowd display and minute’s silence took place before kick-off ahead of the first home match to fall on the date, which finished 2-2 after normal time before Leicester won 4-2 on penalties.

Harvey Barnes gave the hosts an early lead before Adam Webster equalised in first-half stoppage time. However, there was still time for Ademola Lookman to restore Leicester’s advantage before the half-time whistle.

Substitute Enock Mwepu deservedly headed Brighton level midway through the second half to set up the drama of penalties.

Neal Maupay crashed his spot-kick against the crossbar before Mwepu saw his effort saved by Danny Ward, with the Foxes scoring all four of their kicks.

A much-changed Leicester team, with Caglar Soyuncu the only survivor from those who started the win at Brentford at the weekend, went ahead after just six minutes.

Patson Daka chased down a long ball and put goalkeeper Jason Steele under pressure, forcing him to rush his pass to Webster. Barnes was alert to take the ball off the toe of the Brighton defender before beating Steele with a low, hard shot.

Steele made a fine save to tip Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s shot onto the crossbar midway through the first half.

Brighton had threatened from a corner earlier when Dan Burn headed wide and they did so again just after the half hour as Shane Duffy leapt above Hamza Choudhury only for Ward to save his header.

It was from a corner that Webster was able to turn home the ball to equalise, after another Duffy header was blocked by Jannik Vestergaard.

However, another defensive mistake allowed Leicester to immediately restore their lead as Lookman pounced on a Jeremy Sarmiento back pass to poke the ball beyond Steele.

Aaron Connolly got in behind the Leicester defence early in the second half but decided to take his shot early from outside the penalty area when he had more time.

Brighton deservedly equalised midway through the second half when Mwepu beat Ward with a fine header from Marc Cucurella’s cross.

Albion looked the most likely winner in normal time but Leicester withstood the pressure and the tie went to penalties.

Maupay was Brighton’s second penalty taker and hit the bar. James Maddison, Barnes, Daka and Ricardo Pereira had all scored for the hosts, meaning it was over when Ward saved Mwepu’s kick.

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PHIL FODEN SCORES TWICE AS MANCHESTER CITY BEAT BRIGHTON AT THE AMEX

A first-half masterclass from Manchester City saw them win at Brighton and move back up to second in the Premier League.

The reigning champions were untouchable for 45 minutes as Phil Foden scored twice after the recalled Ilkay Gundogan had opened the scoring.

Brighton were much better after the interval and arguably deserved more than the consolation given to them from the penalty spot by Alexis Mac Allister, with Riyad Mahrez striking late on as City left the south coast with a 4-1 win.

Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick here two seasons ago but, with his City future unclear, he was not involved as Pep Guardiola pointed to a lack of fitness.

City’s players warmed up in shirts which carried the message “We’re with you Guido” in support of supporter Guido De Pauw, who was attacked following the Champions League win over Club Brugge on Tuesday night.

The travelling fans also unfurled a banner with the same slogan of support as the teams emerged ahead of kick-off.

Joao Cancelo, sent off here after 10 minutes last season, forced a fine low save out of Robert Sanchez having collected a pass from Jack Grealish, who had made a lively start to the evening.

Gabriel Jesus came within inches of opening the scoring moments later but his effort was acrobatically cleared away from under his own crossbar by Seagulls skipper Lewis Dunk.

Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick here two seasons ago but, with his City future unclear, he was not involved as Pep Guardiola pointed to a lack of fitness.

City’s players warmed up in shirts which carried the message “We’re with you Guido” in support of supporter Guido De Pauw, who was attacked following the Champions League win over Club Brugge on Tuesday night

The travelling fans also unfurled a banner with the same slogan of support as the teams emerged ahead of kick-off.

Joao Cancelo, sent off here after 10 minutes last season, forced a fine low save out of Robert Sanchez having collected a pass from Jack Grealish, who had made a lively start to the evening.

Gabriel Jesus came within inches of opening the scoring moments later but his effort was acrobatically cleared away from under his own crossbar by Seagulls skipper Lewis Dunk.

Unfortunately for Dunk, City would open the scoring from their next attack as Sanchez spilled a Foden cross under pressure from Jesus and Bernardo Silva hooked the ball to Gundogan, who finished into an empty net.

A short VAR check for a foul on Sanchez saw the goal stand and was just reward for a dominant start.

The lead was doubled before the half hour, Bernardo starting a swift counter-attack and feeding Grealish whose low cross was turned home by England team-mate Foden.

Two would become three shortly afterwards as a Grealish shot was blocked into the path of Jesus, whose own strike deflected off a seemingly unwitting Foden and past Sanchez.

Brighton were not at the races but almost pulled one back before half-time as Ederson let a Solly March shot squirm through his grip before recovering in time to prevent a calamitous goal.

City had been superb in the first half but, unlike league leaders Chelsea who had thrashed Norwich 7-0 earlier in the day, they could not continue their form throughout the evening.

Ederson had a similar experience at the start of the second half having to recover from a spill from Pascal Gross’ shot to keep the ball out of the reach of Neal Maupay.

Leandro Trossard was next to test Ederson, who was much the busier of the two goalkeepers since the interval.

Guardiola responded by bringing on Fernandinho in place of Gundogan for the final 17 minutes but Brighton remained on top as the City boss prowled the touchline, irked with a number of his players.

Referee Kevin Friend pointed to the spot with nine minutes to go after adjudging Ederson had fouled Enock Mwepu, with fellow substitute Mac Allister making no mistake from the resulting penalty before Mahrez added the finishing touch to City’s display.

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BRIGHTON MISS CHANCE TO JOIN LEADERS IN STALEMATE WITH ARSENAL

High-flying Brighton missed the chance to go level on points with Premier League leaders Chelsea following a drab goalless draw which ended resurgent Arsenal’s winning run.

Albion edged a rain-soaked encounter at the Amex Stadium but managed just two attempts on target as Leandro Trossard, Dan Burn and Neal Maupay each failed to capitalise on decent openings.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang headed against the outside of a post for the uninspiring Gunners, who were denied a fourth victory on the bounce having begun the campaign with three successive defeats.

The Seagulls sit fifth with 14 points from seven games, with Mikel Arteta’s visitors four places and as many points further back.

Both sides came into the game on the back of morale-boosting results against their fiercest rivals.

Arsenal secured a thumping 3-1 over north London neighbours Tottenham last Sunday, while Albion dug in to scrape a last-gasp 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace the following evening.

Those fixtures came at the cost one enforced change apiece. Albert Sambi Lokonga replaced the injured Granit Xhaka in the Gunners’ midfield, while Albion brought in Jakub Moder for the sidelined Danny Welbeck.

Arteta’s men initially began the brighter and went close in the 23rd minute when Aubameyang grazed the left upright from an acute angle.

But it was Brighton who were far more threatening in the opening 45 minutes.

Gunners defender Ben White – returning to the south coast for the first time since his £50million summer departure – had to be alert to prevent Trossard turning home following slick build-up play from Pascal Gross, Maupay and Adam Lallana.

Seagulls defender Burn then headed another good chance over before top scorer Maupay hooked narrowly off target.

Albion head coach Graham Potter would no doubt have been pleased by the pattern of play but disappointed that none of the attempts tested Aaron Ramsdale.

The Gunners’ England goalkeeper had earlier looked vulnerable when he fumbled a Maupay cross under pressure from Shane Duffy before being relieved to receive a free-kick as the stretching Lewis Dunk blazed over the gaping goal.

Arsenal began the second period with renewed purpose, yet there was little sign of the stalemate ending.

Arteta responded by introducing Nicolas Pepe – who scored three times in his last two outings against Brighton – in place of the ineffectual Martin Odegaard, while Aubameyang was later withdrawn in favour of Alexandre Lacazette.

Lacazette and Thomas Partey combined to send Emile Smith Rowe racing towards goal in the 76th minute but his low effort was turned behind by the legs of Albion keeper Robert Sanchez, with Pepe calling for the ball to be squared across goal.

Brighton finally tested Ramsdale nine minutes from time, yet Trossard’s attempt was tame, before a further insipid attempt came from substitute Solly March.

Buoyed by the home crowd, Albion were ending in the ascendancy.

Ramsdale intercepted March’s header across goal with Maupay lurking for a tap-in, while Duffy nodded wide from a corner.

Moments later, centre-back Duffy survived a brief scare when Smith Rowe went to ground easily in the box. The incident produced an animated response from Arsenal boss Arteta but match official Jonathan Moss was not interested.

Duffy then tumbled in the opposite 18-yard box under a challenge from Gabriel Magalhaes in added time. VAR reviewed the tangle before opting not to intervene as a dull contest ended in deadlock.

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BRIGHTON SNATCH LATE POINT AT CRYSTAL PALACE AS MAUPAY NETS DRAMATIC LEVELER

Neal Maupay struck at the death to salvage Brighton a point and stun rivals Crystal Palace following another dramatic battle between the two teams at Selhurst Park.

Wilfried Zaha’s first-half penalty looked to have given Patrick Vieira’s men all three points but they were hit with a sucker punch in the fifth minute of stoppage-time – in almost identical fashion to how Roy Hodgson’s Eagles had won at the Amex in February.

Maupay got onto Pascal Gross’ ball over the top and lobbed Vicente Guaita for his fourth goal of the campaign to earn a share of the spoils in south London.

Victory for Brighton would have sent them to the top flight summit for the first time in their history, but a knee injury ruled out key man Yves Bissouma while Palace handed a full debut to Odsonne Edouard after two cameos since his deadline day arrival from Celtic.

It was the hosts who dominated the early exchanges and they forced three corners in the opening eight minutes. Chances were less frequent though with Conor Gallagher’s fierce effort headed wide by Lewis Dunk before Edouard’s tame curler from outside the area was straight at Robert Sanchez.

Adam Lallana picked up the first booking of the game after 28 minutes and by this point Brighton had weathered the storm with the aim now to establish the type of control they had become accustomed to in this fixture in recent years.

Leandro Trossard clipped a shot into the side-netting soon after before the best chance of the half so far was created by the Seagulls goalkeeper.

Sanchez spotted the run of Danny Welbeck and produced a wonderful ball over the top for the former England international but he lost his balance under pressure from Joel Ward and could only get a faint touch towards goal which the onrushing Guaita dealt with easily.

After penalty appeals were waved away, more space started to open up for both with Zaha testing the Brighton custodian for the first time with a near-post shot while Lallana squandered a decent opportunity from a corner before the opener did finally arrive.

A crunching tackle by Joel Ward won possession back for Palace and Gallagher made the difference first of all, producing an incisive drive into the area where Trossard committed the foul to leave referee Andre Marriner with little option but to point to the spot.

It ensured Zaha could celebrate his 400th appearance for the club with a goal, his eighth against the Seagulls, after he sent Sanchez the wrong way to ensure there were no red faces in the Eagles camp having taken over penalty duties from usual taker Luka Milivojevic.

Steven Alzate was introduced for the visitors at the break and Potter’s side came out with better intent as Lewis Dunk forced Guaita to tip over his header. Lallana also had an effort blocked but the home side wrestled back the initiative.

Gallagher was the architect for the latest shift in momentum with his relentless pressing too much for the south coast outfit, who looked to be running on empty with substitute Alzate and Welbeck forced off with injuries.

Palace had also made changes by this point and Edouard’s replacement Christian Benteke put the game on a plate for Jordan Ayew with 14 minutes left but the Ghanaian side-footed wide with only Sanchez to beat to extend his goal drought to 35 games.

It would prove a crucial miss as not long after Shane Duffy headed straight at Guaita from Gross’ free-kick, another chance was created by the German and this one was finished.

As the clock ticked into the 95th minute, Gross side-footed forward for Maupay, who had run away from his markers, and produced a clinical finish over the Palace goalkeeper to spark wild scenes among the travelling faithful.

Referee Marriner blew for full time straight after kick-off and James McArthur and Brighton goalkeeper Sanchez came to blows before Seagulls captain Dunk was given a volley of abuse by the home fans in the Holmesdale Stand as he left the pitch.

It produced ugly scenes but in the end both were left to reflect on what might have been with the visitors missing the chance to go top while Palace’s momentum under Vieira slowed.

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BRIGHTON CONTINUE FINE FORM WITH WIN OVER LEICESTER

Brighton maintained their impressive start to the Premier League season with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Leicester at the Amex Stadium.

The Seagulls found themselves on the right side of VAR throughout the game as Leicester had two equalisers ruled out in the final stages, with Harvey Barnes judged to be offside and obstructing the goalkeeper on both occasions.

Neal Maupay put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot in the 35th minute, sending Kasper Schmeichel the wrong way, and Danny Welbeck doubled Brighton’s lead just after the break with a well-timed header.

However, after going two goals behind, it was Leicester who dominated, with Jamie Vardy pulling one back just after the hour mark with his 150th goal for the club on his 250th Premier League appearance.

The Foxes kept the pressure on in the final minutes of the game but were unable to find the leveller.

Brighton had the best of the early chances, including when Maupay was fed through by Marc Cucurella, but his shot was blocked and deflected over the crossbar.

Solly March also had an opportunity to break the deadlock after being played in by Joel Veltman but his low drive was saved by the legs of Schmeichel.

A penalty decision from Stuart Atwell handed the home side the breakthrough they had threatened from the start.

The ball into the box was headed by Shane Duffy and struck Jannik Vestergaard’s hand at close range, with the referee pointing to the spot after a discussion with his assistant.

VAR then upheld the decision before Maupay scored from the spot to claim his third goal of the season.

Leicester looked marginally more threatening after the break and Vardy capitalised on a loose ball only to drag his shot wide of the target.

However, Brighton doubled their lead just moments later, with former England international Welbeck sending a header past Schmeichel.

The free-kick was put into the box from Leandro Trossard and Welbeck timed his run, lost Vardy who appeared to be marking him, and jumped well to nod into the back of the net.

Leicester halved the deficit just after the hour mark, with substitute Ademola Lookman playing a clever back-heeled one-two with Youri Tielemens who sent in a well-timed ball to the back post which was calmly slotted into the net by Vardy.

The visitors appeared to have secured an equaliser when Lookman scuffed a volley into the back of the net, but it was ruled out.

The assistant referee had raised his flag for offside with VAR upholding the decision, with Barnes in the line of sight of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and was offside as the ball came in to the former Fulham player.

Caglar Soyuncu headed wide inside the box with just over 10 minutes remaining as Leicester kept the pressure on in search of a leveller, with Barnes also having a shot deflected onto the bar.

Leicester looked to have equalised for a second time, only for Wilfred Ndidi’s header to be ruled out for another offside from Barnes, who was ruled to be obstructing Sanchez for a second time.

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BEN WHITE COMPLETES ARSENAL MOVE

Brighton & Hove Albion defender Ben White has completed his move to Arsenal for a fee of around £50 million, reports Fabrizio Romano. The defender joins hoping to become a key part of Mikel Arteta’s ongoing rebuild at the Emirates. He should tick the boxes for age, potential and ball-playing ability to slot straight into the side.

As for Brighton, they’ll consider the deal good business having received the £50 million fee. Without White, the Seagulls still have a solid bunch of defensive options including the more experienced Lewis Dunk, Joel Veltman and Adam Webster.

Arsenal fans will be satisfied with the move, but they’ll still have plenty of questions probably starting with, did they even need another centre-back? The Gunners already have David Luiz, Rob Holding, Gabriel and Pablo Mari. Sure Ben White offers added quality, but surely the budget should have gone on the frontline?

Last season saw Arsenal concede less goals than third place Liverpool yet finish the season five places and eight points away from them. The argue could be made that they didn’t need to target defenders, especially when looking at their offensive numbers.

Whilst conceding less goals than Liverpool, Arteta’s side scored less than Leeds United and Newcastle United. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang struggled for the majority of the season, scoring just ten Premier League goals.

At the age of 32, the likelihood is that he only continues his decline in the forthcoming season, too, leaving Arsenal without a goalscoring. White will undoubtedly find success at the Emirates, but is he needed? No.

Instead, Arteta should have thrown sentiment out of the window and targeted a replacement for Aubameyang. Luckily for the Gunners, there is still time to welcome further players before the beginning of the season.