Sunday 14th May was a fine sunny afternoon and just six days after Brighton had lost 5-1 against Everton at the Amex, the Albion were ready to go again at Arsenal.
A heavy defeat might have a lasting impact on some teams, but not the Albion. Roberto De Zerbi and his trusted coaching team managed to lift spirts and convince the squad that the previous Monday’s result was a one-off.
Brighton came into the game clear headed and determined with, as De Zerbi promised, a good mentality to take on the number two team in the Premier League.
The result was a 3-0 victory and as has already been written on WAB after the stunning result, anyone with no knowledge of the table could have been mistake for thinking the team in blue and white were chasing the title rather than the team in red.
What is happening right now at Brighton is not going unnoticed. Local people in Brighton & Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex know the Albion are putting the city and counties they represent on the map by being on the brink of making club history.
Finishing in the top seven will extend the Seagulls name into the European arena. In years gone by, I have worked at Gatwick airport and watched young people arrive in England with their parents, being taken to see Chelsea, Spurs and the rest.
When I mentioned the nearest club to Gatwick being Brighton & Hove Albion, just half hour down the road, many of them had no idea the Seagulls existed.
You can guarantee that is changing through results like Arsenal 0-3 Brighton and the prospect of playing in Europe. The 2022-23 season has turned the Albion into a club with a worldwide profile and that is a great thing.
Arsenal of course already have that reach. My wife’s side of family are all born-and-bred Gunners, coming from that area of North London. Not me; I am a proud to be a product of Brighton & Hove.
This conflict in the home meant I had to tread carefully in the hours following the full time whistle. Only when my wife was out walking the dog did I dare to watch the highlights back; I have to eat, remember!
So being able to write about what happened at the Emirates gives me a sense of relief. Finally, I can talk about the fantastic football played by our great players under the guidance of our brilliant manager.
News filtered through before kick off that Manchester City had won 3-0 at Everton, upping the pressure on Arsenal. The Gunners had to win to keep pace with City in the title race.
That is probably what made the first half a little bit Little Britain for those who remember the sketch, bitty. One could almost say feisty. Gabriel Martinelli set the tone early when he felt like taking out Kaoru Mitoma with a forearm smash to the face, sending Mitoma to the ground like a sack of spuds.
Martinelli did not last much longer after that, having to be substituted after a heavy challenge from Moises Caicedo.
Caicedo and Mitoma gave each other a fist pump afterwards, suggesting it was revenge for Martinelli’s actions against the Japanese Bullet Train.
Between those two incidents, we saw Julio Enciso receive a long ball from Pascal Gross following a Jason Steele pass nearly intercepted by Gabriel Jesus.
Fortunately, Jesus missed the interception and it led to Enciso beating Ben White and seeing Aaron Ramsdale make a good save with his hand for a corner.
Martin Odegaard tried one of his powerful grass-cutting fizzers which he has scored a few goals from, only for it to speed past Steele’s left hand post.
Jesus then threated down the right, drilling a similar ball towards goal which had caused Steele to deflect into his own net against Everton. This time, Steele got his foot in the right place and turned the shot past the post.
Mikel Arteta chose a familiar face in Leandro Trossard to replace Martinelli. Trossard almost made an instant impact, collecting a Granit Xhaka pass and letting a shot go from just inside the area which glanced the top of the crossbar.
A tactical adjustment saw Mitoma switch from right wing to left and that led to things really heating up. Mitoma confused White so much that it appeared our former defender was doing the Hokey Cokey.
Mitoma slipped away whilst White was dancing, dropping a shoulder and hitting a pass back from the by-line though a group of players.
It arrived perfectly at the feet of Enciso, who blasted over when all it needed was a side foot into the onion bag. A lesson to learn for the youngster.
Evan Ferguson was next go close with a shot just wide after Levi Colwill did really well to keep the ball in play and hook it long up the right channel.
Bukayo Saka flashed an effort of his own equally close as the first 45 minutes finished goalless. I headed off to put the kettle on and keep a low profile, knowing at this point that a draw was a much better result for the Albion than Arsenal.
I wondered what the managers had said to their players at half time, For De Zerbi, maybe a case of keep it up and add a touch of calmness in front of goal. If Brighton had been decisive rather than snatching at their chances, they could have taken the lead on a couple of occasions.
Well, it took only six minutes for a cool head to appear in the Arsenal box. Pervis Estupinan chipped a cross after his first attempt had been blocked and Enciso was on hand to nod past Ramsdale with such ease. De Zerbi went mad on the highlights, which was more than I could do in my living room.
The Gunners responded by going on the search for an equaliser. Reiss Nelson had a shot which again went wide and Trossard forced Steele into a good save.
Arsenal have been top for the majority of this season for a reason and I worried we were about to be shown why.
Brighton though regained some control. A rocket from Alexis Mac Allister zipped not far away before the moment that won the game for Brighton.
It was one no Arsenal player, manager or fan would have wanted to see. Ramsdale and Trossard had a misjudgement, Gross pounced and the ball rebounded forward into space where the onside Deniz Undav was lurking.
Ramsdale charged out and jumped 12 feet into the air to try and put Undav off. Undav was not to be distracted, cleverly lobbing the ball over Ramsdale and into the back of the net.
The Brighton fans were berserk and De Zerbi again showed his passion. There were just four minutes of normal time left and the Gunners knew that was that.
Brighton were not yet done, however. The icing on the cake came when Danny Welbeck did well down the right to control the ball, keep possession and flick onto Dundav.
Ramsdale parried Undav’s shot but only straight into the path of Estupinan who controlled his finish to make it 3-0 in the 96th minute.
Arsenal had been beaten by the better team, in the words of my stepson, a real compliment coming from an ardent Gunner whose team’s season now appears over.
If you look at what Arsenal achieved this season, they should be applauded rather than scolded for their efforts.
Nobody thought they would be in a title race with City, just like not many people expected Brighton to be on the verge of European football.
Three big games remain at Newcastle United, home to Southampton and then away to Aston Villa. Recently relegated Saints is the one game I am not sure about, the way things have been going when you compare the Everton and Arsenal games. Maybe a good showing though would convince James Ward-Prowse to sign on the dotted line?
We will need new players for European football, after all, to help those who we have to thank for this fantastic season so far. UTA.
Tony Noble @Noble1844Tony
