If there was any hope of Arsenal beating Manchester City to the title, perhaps their loss against Brighton was the final nail in the coffin. The 0-3 loss saw the Gunners surrender the title to City.
Prior to the start of the season, many Gunners supporters would have been satisfied with Champions League qualification but after enjoying the majority of the campaign on top of the table, finishing second now feels like a mere consolation.
Their loss on Sunday means that Manchester City could be crowned Champions if they beat Chelsea this weekend.
It was a lethargic performance from Mikel Arteta’s men who couldn’t quite get a foothold on the game.
The Gunners never displayed the kind of football spectators have become accustomed to throughout the season.
For the home side, it looked like a timid day at the office and the visitors took full advantage.
Three second-half goals from Julio Enciso, Deniz Undav, and Pervis Estupinan were enough to dent Arsenal’s title chances.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Arteta said he felt responsible for the team’s collapse.
“I hate the feeling of letting people down when they’re really expecting something. That’s the biggest regret I have today,” he said.
The Spaniard went on to dissect how quickly emotions can be flipped on their head.
“A week ago, I was standing here feeling proud and today we have to apologize for the performance in the second half. It was not acceptable.
“Mathematically, it’s still possible, but today it’s impossible to think about it. We need to digest the result and the performance in the second half, understand why and have a different reaction,” concluded Arteta.
It was arguably Arsenal’s worst performance of the season and they were second-best to Brighton from the first whistle.
What is next for Arteta and Arsenal?
At times during the 2022-23 season, Arsenal have been as many as eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Their collective loss of concentration on an infamous afternoon at the Emirates yesterday was understandable. It was hardly surprising that Arsenal subsequently collapsed.
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For a young side going at it hammer and tongs against a City side made up of serial winners, eventually, their immaturity was going to show and unfortunately, it did at the business end.
Arsenal are now remaining with two games against Nottingham Forest and Wolves. Their title hopes are solely dependent on City’s remaining games against Chelsea, Brighton, and Brentford.
