THE so-called “new normal” could scarcely feel more similar for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. Despite leading with less than 20 minutes to play, the Gunners fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of relegation-battling Brighton at the weekend.

The defeat was compounded by a serious knee injury to goalkeeper Bernd Leno who was stretchered off after falling awkwardly under a cynical challenge by Brighton’s Neal Maupay. The German, who’s been one of the team’s standout performers since the league’s resumption, is expected to be out for the remainder of the season, deepening Arsenal’s rapidly escalating injury crisis.

Meanwhile, the last-gasp win for Brighton, sealed in the 94th minute by the villainous protagonist Maupay could be one of their most important of the season with such a tough run-in to endure. Taking three points here and completing the double over Arsenal, having won the reverse fixture by the same scoreline in December, was a massive triumph for Graham Potter’s side in their bid to beat the drop.

The omens are not good for Arteta, who, since taking the job in December has failed to register a single league win in six attempts on the road.

The visitors imposed themselves on the Seagulls from the outset but failed to make their dominance count. Bukayo Saka struck the crossbar early on and made a menace of himself throughout. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette had a busy afternoon, both seeing plenty of the ball but neither could produce the killer instinct needed to beat the impressive Brighton keeper Mat Ryan. 

Albion have played attractive football at times this season but were far from their best in the eerily sterile atmosphere that post-Covid Premier League stadiums have become. This felt more like a training match – albeit one with considerably more needle and commotion - than a historic occasion for English football with this being the first-ever televised top-flight Saturday 3pm kick-off.

There has been much talk about advantage for away teams but, if true, Arsenal didn’t receive the memo. They were guilty of not taking their chances and, in the end, they were left wanting.

Aubameyang’s future at the club remains uncertain with the star-striker unwilling to commit to a new deal and a number of clubs reportedly ready to swoop. This has begun to take its toll on performances. The Gabon international took seven shots but could not load any of them with enough venom to add to his 17-goal tally for this season.

The visitors were probing for over an hour before Nicolas Pepe pulled off the type of spectacular move which he’s become known for. Playing down the inside-right where he’s at his most effective, the Ivorian cut onto his left foot and fired into the top corner.

But Albion never sensed they were out of it and captain Lewis Dunk capitalised on a scramble in the box to draw Brighton level soon after. From that point, there was always a strong possibility that Arsenal’s soft underbelly would falter once again. The Seagulls are scrapping for survival and that was evident in their output.

An exceptional pass by substitute Aaron Connolly played in Maupay who’d made a brilliant run and the Frenchman chipped it neatly over Emiliano Martinez.

Arsenal’s dismal away record is a real worry for Arteta and will need to be urgently addressed with their visit to Southampton on Thursday now looming even larger.