Brighton inflict more misery on Arsenal; Newcastle beat Sheffield
Brighton’s Neal Maupay (left) celebrates with Aaron Mooy after scoring against Arsenal during their EPL match in London on Thursday. Reuters
Elsehwere, Newcastle taught Sheffield United a lesson in taking their chances as the Magpies won 2-0 at Bramall Lane despite enjoying just 27 per cent possession. Neal Maupay headed in a deserved winner for the Seagulls 10 minutes from time after Alexandre Lacazette had cancelled out Adam Webster’s opener for Brighton.
Defeat leaves Arsenal in 10th and 10 points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea in the hunt for Champions League qualification next season.
On this evidence there is little chance of Ljungberg landing the job on a permanent basis as another sparse crowd at the Emirates greeted the final whistle with a chorus of boos.
After a 2-2 draw at Norwich on Sunday in the first match since Unai Emery was sacked, there was again no sign of a new manager bounce for Ljungberg’s home bow. Brighton dominated the first 45 minutes and could have gone in at the break more than one goal to the good.
Aaron Connolly should have turned Maupay’s shot across goal in at the far post before Bernd Leno had to show his reflexes to deny Maupay and Davy Propper with shots from outside the box.
The opener seemed only a matter of time for the visitors and arrived nine minutes before half-time when Arsenal failed to clear a corner and Webster fired home the loose ball from close range.
Going behind woke Arsenal. They could easily have levelled moments later when Joe Willock headed straight at Mat Ryan from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s cross.
Willock was sacrificed at the interval as Ljungberg introduced club record signing Nicolas Pepe, who had started on the bench for the fifth straight league game under two different managers.
Ljungberg’s half-time tinkering did the trick as the hosts came out a different side in the second half.
Lacazette’s looping header brought Arsenal level just five minutes into the second period before Aubameyang was inches away from connecting with crosses from Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac.
Agence France-Presse
