Brighton & Hove Albion Shock Arsenal in 2018 Premier League on Sunday

Arsenal's season lurched to a new nadir Sunday at the Amex Stadium as Brighton beat them 2-1 in the Premier League to heap more pressure on Arsene Wenger.

It was a first period to forget for the visitors as Lewis Dunk gave Brighton an early lead. The hosts sensed blood thereafter, and Glenn Murray gave them a deserved second when he powered a header home. 

On the stroke of half-time, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave the Gunners a lifeline with a tidy finish from close range, but they were unable to sustain any major pressure on the hosts in the second half, who were comfortable for long spells in defence.

The defeat effectively ends Arsenal's hopes of a top-four finish as they're now 13 points behind local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who currently occupy fourth. The Seagulls, meanwhile, move up into the top half with this victory.

After three defeats in succession coming into this one and just three away wins in the Premier League all season, the Gunners were under pressure to start well on the south coast, but the visiting fans witnessed an all too familiar capitulation.

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Petr Cech got caught under a high cross seven minutes in, allowing Shane Duffy to nod the ball down to his defensive partner Dunk, who fired home from close range. As noted by Bet365, the defender would've been relieved to net at the right end at last:

That was the trigger for a dreadful spell for the visitors as they were unable to cope with Brighton's attacking talent. Murray, Jose Izquierdo and Pascal Gross were all causing big issues.

Two members of that trio combined for Brighton's second, as Gross' cross allowed Murray room to bully Shkodran Mustafi and head under Cech. As noted by Mattias Karen of ESPN FC, it was a goal littered with errors from the Gunners:

Meanwhile, as noted by James Olley of the Evening Standard, the away supporters were turning their frustration towards the manager:

After the second goal, Brighton did have chances to extend their advantage further but were unable to completely kill the match off.

It did allow Arsenal to get a foothold in the contest, and in one of their rare forward forays, Granit Xhaka was able to find Aubameyang in space in the penalty area. The Gabon international steered the ball home with the outside of his foot.

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In the end, Brighton were a little fortunate to go in at half-time in front as Laurent Koscielny's deflected header rattled the post. Despite the Arsenal goal, James McNicholas was feeling despondent at the break:

Arsenal started the second period on top, with Mesut Ozil stinging the palms of Mat Ryan before the hour mark with a fierce strike from the edge of the penalty area.

Per James Benge of the Evening Standard, it was the German who was trying to trigger an Arsenal fightback:

There was a controversial moment midway through the second half when Sead Kolasinac appeared fortunate to escape a second yellow card for a heavy challenge on Ezequiel Schelotto. It was enough to force the Brighton man out of the game with a head injury:

While they lost their right-back, the delay in the game did sap some of the momentum Arsenal had built up. Brighton then thought they'd made the game safe eight minutes from time, although Murray's tap-in at the end of a slick passing move was ruled out for offside.

Arsenal flung on Danny Welbeck and Eddie Nketiah in the final stages in search of an equaliser, and their hopes were buoyed further by seven minutes of injury time. 

However, Brighton dug in and were able to secure a vital three points, with Aubameyang's tame shot straight at Ryan the closest the Gunners came to an equaliser.