Tough task for Brighton to rule the Emirates again
Trips to the Emirates Stadium have proven rather good fun for Brighton supporters over the past few seasons.
May 2023 saw the Albion hammer Arsenal 3-0, all-but ending the Gunners’ hopes of being crowned Premier League champions ahead of a resurgent Manchester City.
In November 2022, Brighton eliminated Arsenal from the League Cup via a 3-1 success in North London. Mikel Arteta and his players would go onto finish the 2022-23 season without a trophy.
Seven months earlier and Graham Potter’s Seagulls ended a run of six defeats, one draw and only one goal scored in seven matches by winning 2-1 at the Emirates. That defeat to Brighton proved very damaging to the Gunners’ hopes of Champions League qualification.
And it is not just Premier League titles, League Cups and top four places the Albion have cost Arsenal. Brighton’s first ever league win away at the Gunners came in December 2019 and meant there was no way caretaker boss and Arsenal legend Freddie Ljunberg was getting the job on a full time basis.
Oh, and we might as well mention that seven months previous to that 2-1 success over the managerless Gunners and Brighton had drawn 1-1 at Arsenal to again ensure their hosts missed out on the Champions League.
You remember that one, when Yves Bissouma was caught on camera at the full time whistle laughing hysterically. Even Chris Hughton’s limited Albion side were capably of causing damage to the mighty Arsenal.
Throw in the Moises Caicedo transfer saga of last January and it is little wonder a lot of Gunners fans do not like Brighton.
Arsenal were adamant they could sign Caicedo for under £70 million even after being told by the Seagulls the midfielder would be going nowhere in the winter transfer window no matter what the bid.
Yet still the Gunners kept coming back. When Brighton remained steadfast and refused to sell, Arsenal supporters lost their minds.
The Albion would pay the price for keeping an unhappy player, falling away from the top six as Caicedo rocked the boat whilst Arsenal went onto win the title. And nobody would pay more than £70 million for Caicedo in the summer, leaving Tony Bloom out of pocket.
We won’t dwell too much on how those predictions of impending Seagulls doom worked out. Caicedo was even better post-January than he had been before, Brighton finished sixth and the player went for a British record £115 million to Chelsea. Oh, and the Gunners did not win the Premier League either. Obviously…
In some ways, Arsenal should be thanking Brighton for not selling them Caicedo. Had the Ecuador international moved to the Emirates, would the Gunners have then gone out and bought Declan Rice from West Ham United for over £100 million in the summer?
So far this season, Rice has proven much the better purchase. He is helping Arsenal again challenge for the championship in what is proving to be a thrilling title race also involving Liverpool, City and surprise package Aston Villa.
That makes any trip to the Emirates tough – but especially so on this occasion for Brighton. Whereas the Gunners had a dead rubber in the Champions League away against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night having already won their group, Brighton had to slog it out for 90 minutes with Marseille to try and earn top spot in Europa League Group B.
The game was only decided in the 88th minute by Joao Pedro, leading to euphoric scenes at the Amex. The question now becomes at what cost – nobody could blame the players for being shattered after their midweek exertions.
An added complication comes from a trip to Crystal Palace on Thursday night. Roberto De Zerbi said in the build up to Arsenal that he wants to win every game.
But as a passionate football fan himself who understands the importance of rivalries, it would be no surprise to see him treat Palace as more important than Arsenal.
The 2023-24 season was always going to be a year of trade offs for the Albion with the additional workload brought about by Europe.
Drawing with Sheffield United or losing at Chelsea is a price worth paying for nights like beating Ajax or winning away in Athens.
Losing at Arsenal too would be wholly acceptable if it means victory over Marseille, progression straight to the Europa League round of 16 in March and then defeating Palace on their own patch for the first time since 2019.
Brighton have given us some pretty unforgettable memories at the Emirates Stadium in recent years. To win in December 2023 in the circumstances would easily be the most impressive success yet.
And if not – roll on Thursday night instead.
