Arsenal fans angered by another loss but Arsene Wenger won’t quit
Gunners’s ‘ugly’ defeat at Brighton is their fourth in a row
There was more agony for Arsenal yesterday when the Gunners suffered their fourth straight defeat in losing 2-1 to Brighton.
It was what they deserved for another dreadful display in which the visitors conceded two early goals at the Amex through disastrous defending. “Passive” was the word Arsene Wenger used. Try pathetic instead. Petr Cech was at fault for both goals, as were his defenders, who lacked the desire and aggression of a Brighton team who before the game had never beaten one of the Premier League’s Big Six.
How much longer Arsenal will rank among that exclusive cartel remains to be seen. Eight points behind Chelsea, the Gunners are now 13 points adrift of Tottenham, who currently occupy the last of the four Champions League spots.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Asked if he believed Arsenal could catch their north London rivals, Wenger replied: “It is very difficult, nearly impossible now, we are too far behind. We need two teams to collapse not one. But at the moment we have different worries in how to come back to winning a game.”
The statistics of Arsenal’s unprecedented slump are shocking. This year they’ve won just four of their 14 matches and they’ve been beaten in five of their last seven Premier League matches.
Burnley, whose form hasn’t exactly been electric this year, are now only five points behind the Gunners and there’s the very real possibility that Arsenal will miss out even on the Europa League next season.
Of course, they could still make it into next season’s Champions League, but that would require them to beat AC Milan in the Europa League, starting with the first leg in Italy on Thursday. Only the most optimistic Arsenal fan – that rare breed who still parrot the redundant refrain ‘In Arsene We Trust’ – seriously believes their boys have the backbone to beat the Italian outfit.
The more likely scenario is that Arsenal will continue their slide until someone in the boardroom has the guts and the gumption to finally put Wenger out of his misery.
Pundits tore into the Frenchman on Twitter after Sunday’s defeat to the Seagulls, with Rio Ferdinand declaring that “Wenger going on for too long feels like my last year playing at QPR”, and Gary Lineker suggesting that “if I were Arsene Wenger, I might consider firing Arsene Wenger”. Former Gunner Ray Parlour simply said: “My God this is hard to watch.”
Brighton fans, on the other hand, were delighted to watch their team climb further away from the relegation zone thanks to goals from Lewis Dunk and Glenn Murray.
Dunk struck on seven minutes, volleying home after Cech failed to deal with a corner, and Murray headed the second on 25 minutes after a pinpoint cross from Pascal Gross.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got one back from the Gunners late in the first-half. The visitors also rattled a Brighton post before the break, but they created few clear-cut chances in the second period despite dominating possession.
“The fact we got the two goals early gave us that buffer that we could hang onto but over the 90 minutes I felt we were very worthy winners,” said Brighton manager Chris Hughton, savouring his club’s first win over Arsenal since 1982.
“Our intent at the beginning of the game was very good. No complaints with that first half except the goal we conceded before half time. And then we showed the other side of our game – the ugly side – and you need that.”
All of Arsenal’s game is ugly right now – this is the first time they have lost four on the trot since 2002 – and for a growing number of Gooners only the removal of Wenger will bring back their beautiful game.
Judging by his post-match comments, however, the Arsenal manager has no intention of resigning, telling reporters: “I have enough experience and desire to turn things around.”
This weekend’s Premier League results
- Burnley 2 Everton 1
- Leicester City 1 AFC Bournemouth 1
- Southampton 0 Stoke City 0
- Swansea City 4 West Ham United 1
- Tottenham Hotspur 2 Huddersfield Town 0
- Watford 1 West Bromwich Albion 0
- Liverpool 2 Newcastle United 0
- Brighton & Hove Albion 2 Arsenal 1
- Manchester City 1 Chelsea 0
Tonight’s Premier League fixture
- Crystal Palace vs. Manchester United (8pm)
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Oysters from New York's past could shore up its future
Under the Radar Project aims to seed a billion oysters in the city's waterways to improve water quality, fight coastal erosion and protect against storm surges
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Today's political cartoons - November 24, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - taped bananas, flying monkeys, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Spanish cop, 20 million euros and 13 tonnes of cocaine
In the Spotlight Óscar Sánchez Gil, Chief Inspector of Spain's Economic and Tax Crimes Unit, has been arrested for drug trafficking
By The Week UK Published
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?
Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is a new English football regulator an own goal for the game?
Talking Point PM hails 'historic moment for football fans' but West Ham owner warns it could 'ruin' Premier League
By The Week UK Published
-
English football and the etiquette of leaving the stadium early
Talking Point The belief that 'true fans stay to the end' does not always apply
By The Week UK Published
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham after ‘extraordinary’ rant at players
feature After another year without a trophy, Spurs are now searching for a new manager
By The Week Staff Published
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published