ARSENAL ARE LEFT AT SEA

Albion strike again to end Gunners Emirates run

MIKEL ARTETA saw Arsenal crash out when their Brighton curse struck again.

The Gunners had won their previous 12 home games in all competitions, the last team to beat them at the Emirates being Albion in April.

Brighton deserved it that day and ran riot again last night, a muchchanged Arsenal line-up looking a pale shadow of the team which has stormed to the top of the Premier League.

Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi has taken his time to get his feet under the table but now has his men playing some beautiful stuff again.

Danny Welbeck, Kaoru Mitoma and Tariq Lamptey - with his first goal in two years - brought their hosts crashing back down to earth after their remarkable start to the season.

Arsenal took the lead through Eddie Nketiah but their collapse and sorry surrender perhaps served to highlight the fear they lack strength in depth.

Nketiah and Reiss Nelson impressed, but virtually every other player disappointed and not even a flurry of late substitutions as they brought on the big guns could prevent a third-round exit.

Boss Arteta will have bigger things on his mind - a win at Wolves on Saturday will ensure Arsenal stay top of the table for Christmas - but momentum is also a precious commodity.

They will be sorry to lose their winning streak and yet paid a price for too many changes - 10 in total from the starting XI which won at Chelsea on Sunday, with William Saliba the only survivor. And Brighton were only too happy to take advantage.

Despite a shaky start, Arsenal went ahead on 20 minutes when Nelson drove forward and then Nketiah supplied a lovely curling finish from the left edge of the box.

That should have been the cue for Arsenal to step up a gear but they were undone by a howler from rookie keeper Karl Hein.

Welbeck charged through, Hein rushed out but slipped and, by the time he got up, it was too late and he brought down the Seagulls forward.

Hein got a yellow card and could not stop former Gunner Welbeck calmly despatching the penalty into the bottom corner (right).

Nketiah crashed a shot against a post and Nelson had a header saved as the home side started the second half well but were soon undone by Brighton’s slick counter attacks.

Brighton went ahead after 58 minutes when Japan international Mitoma - on as a half-time substitute - raced through before coolly finishing.

If that was not enough, they got a third when Lamptey slotted home from close range after another slick, flowing move which just underlined De Zerbi’s impressive philosophy.