Arsenal 1 Brighton 1: Clumsy Granit Xhaka costs Gunners dear as top-four hopes all-but die

Arsenal’s last remaining hope of Champions League football next season lies in their bid to win the Europa League after a 1-1 draw at home to Brighton all but ended their top four hopes.

The Gunners would now need to beat Burnley with Tottenham losing at home to Everton next week, with a eight goal swing, in order to leapfrog their rivals into fourth.

It all seemed a routine afternoon when the first of two soft penalties here at the Emirates was steered in by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang early on, but with the top four on the line the Gunners were unable to show any sort of confidence on the ball before Glenn Murray converted from the same penalty spot to take a point back to the south coast.

Brighton had been assured of Premier League football next season thanks to rivals Crystal Palace relegating Cardiff on Saturday, but that changed little about Chris Hughton’s approach to the game.

Early on the visitors, with just one Premier League goal since March 10 before today, sat deep and invited pressure, the tactic which had so frustrated Tottenham just up the road last month.

Their wall was almost broken early on, however, as Henrikh Mkhitaryan found space in the crowded box, all bar one of the green Brighton shirts back in there, to fire off a shot which agonisingly stayed out after finding the foot of Mat Ryan’s post.

Luck was not on Arsenal’s side in the opening two minutes, but they didn’t have to wait too long before things turned their way when Alireza Jahanbakhsh was adjudged to have fouled Nacho Monreal in the box despite winning the ball. Anthony Taylor, the referee, was convinced however, and so Aubameyang was handed the chance to move onto 20 Premier League goals in his first full season in the division, an opportunity he duly accepted, sending Ryan the wrong way and allowing the hosts to breath a little easier.

With the second leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday, there was no real desperation from the hosts to go all out for a big scoreline here, though they were sitting far too comfortably when a comedic spell, starting with Bernd Leno playing the ball straight to the feet of Jahanbakhsh on the edge of his own box, saw the Gunners unable to control and clear the ball until Leno recovered to save Murray’s header.

Brighton sensed a slim chance. Solly March ordered to run at Stephan Lichtsteiner whenever possible, the Swiss defender, making his first appearance since February, surely not part of Emery’s plans going forward.

As the Seagulls looked for a leveler, though, spaces opened up for Arsenal. Ryan saved well from Shkodran Mustafi’s header at the near post before the Gunners started ramping things up. Aubameyang found Mesut Ozil on the break, the German’s well-timed ball returning the favour before Arsenal’s top scorer was the next to be denied by Brighton’s Australian keeper.

Ryan had more to do before the break, beating away a rasping effort from Mkhitaryan before Alexandre Lacazette saw his follow-up headed behind by Lewis Dunk.

Arsenal were on top but emerged for the second half with nothing like the confidence of the final ten minutes of the first.

Hughton opted for a change, Anthony Knockaert on in place of Jahanbakhsh, and Arsenal began to open up, March drawing a near post stop from Leno shortly after the restart following a smart one-two to split the Gunners defence.

There was no sense of control from this side chasing a Champions League spot, they looked nervy and disjointed, with the side one spot above the relegation places executing their plan well.

Brighton were rewarded for their work thanks to a naive challenge from Granit Xhaka, chasing March back into his own box, looking to usher the winger out of play he swung an arm at the Englishman as he skipped past towards Leno’s goal. It was a slight touch, but a silly one and enough for March to go down, however dramatically, and force Taylor into awarding the second penalty of the day. This time it was Murray, who has not missed a penalty in over a year, stepping up at the Clock End, but the same result. Arsenal punished for not taking their chances.

They appeared rocked, and Brighton sensed again a chance, Knockaert working his way into the area before being denied by Leno.

It took some time but Arsenal again found their feet, worked up some pressure before Aubameyang and Lacazette in turn went close. They had momentum on their side and Brighton once again pinned back.

Emery has made far more impact with his changes this season than Arsene Wenger ever did, but a triple substitution in the midst of that pressure seemed to kill Arsenal’s verve.

There were still chances, Lacazette heading wide and Lucas Torreira firing over, but Brighton should have won it late on when Pascal Gross sent his effort rather embarrassingly wide after March’s header had struck the post.

Arsenal take a two goal lead to Valencia for the second leg on Thursday, but with the pressure of that competition now being theri last hope of a seat at Europe’s top table come next season, the confidence will perhaps be running a lower than it should have been.

What should have been a comfortable farewell final home game of Emery’s first season ended in sheer frustration for the Spaniard and the supporters here in north London.

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Arsenal: Leno, Lichtsteiner, Mustafi, Papastathopoulos, ​Monreal, Torreira, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Lacazette, ​Aubameyang.

Subs: Cech, Elneny, Koscielny, Iwobi, Guendouzi, ​Kolasinac, Nketiah.

Brighton: Ryan, Saltor, Duffy, Dunk, Bernardo, Jahanbakhsh, Gross, Stephens, Bissouma, March, Murray.

Subs: Bong, Kayal, ​Locadia, Andone, Knockaert, Balogun, Button.

Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)