Arsenal stopped in the League Cup
Contrary to the pre-match statement that he would use a strong squad, coach Mikel Arteta replaced 10 positions compared to the 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the Premier League last weekend, when only William Saliba was retained. But the French midfielder also made way for Gabriel Magalhaes from the 63rd minute.
Instead, the opportunity is given to young and reserve players, such as 20-year-old goalkeeper Karl Jakob Hein, right-back Cedric Soares, midfielders Mohamed Elneny, Albert Sambi Lokonga or attacking players Marquinhos, Reiss Nelson and Edward Nketiah.
Arsenal's reserve team did not slouch, holding the ball 57%, finishing 23 times with four shots on target, compared to Brighton's 13 and 4. The visitors had the first chance with Jeremy Sarmiento's shot from close to the box, but it was Arsenal who opened the scoring. In the 20th minute, Nelson took the ball from his home field, rushed into the middle and created an assist for Nketiah to cut the sole of his right foot with a touch to the far corner, beyond the reach of goalkeeper Jason Steele.
But Arsenal only maintained the advantage for seven minutes. In the first start, Hein slipped and then came out to foul Danny Welbeck in the box, causing the home team to take a penalty. On the 11m mark, Welbeck sank to the right corner, against the judgment of the 20-year-old goalkeeper. Thanks to that, the English striker became the first player to score at the Emirates Stadium in the colors of four clubs, including Man Utd, Arsenal, Watford and Brighton.
In the second half, Arsenal played better and had a few situations to bombard the away team's goal, with a long shot or a heart attack in the penalty area that missed Lokonga's column.
Wasting the opportunity, the owner must pay the price. In the 58th minute, Sarmiento dribbled confidently in front of the penalty area and then created an assist for the substitute Kaoru Mitoma to cut his heart into the far corner, bringing Brighton ahead. The away team completed the victory in the 71st minute, also with a phase on the left wing. Receiving a pass from Billy Gilmour, Tariq Lamptey rushed to eliminate Marquinhos and then cross the corner to lower Hein.
The third defeat from the beginning of the season made Arsenal soon stop in the League Cup. Before that, Arteta's army lost 1-3 at Man Utd in the Premier League and 0-2 at PSV in the Europa League. In the League Cup last season, Arsenal reached the semi-finals and lost to Liverpool - the team then crowned the champion - with a total score of 0-2 over two legs.
Before the 2022 World Cup, Arsenal still had a trip to Wolves in the round of 16 of the English Premier League on November 12. Arsenal currently leads with 34 points, two points ahead of defending champion Man City.
