Aussie Aaron Mooy stars as Arsenal suffers shock loss to Brighton
Aaron Mooy had the world singing his praises after he masterminded underdog Brighton’s shock upset over a Premier League giant.
Socceroos Aaron Mooy and goalkeeper Mat Ryan compounded Arsenal’s Premier League misery as Brighton beat the Gunners 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Friday (AEDT).
It was not the result the home team was after following the sacking of Unai Emery, with caretaker coach Freddie Ljungberg now earning just one point from a possible six after a draw with Norwich City.
Neal Maupay headed in a deserved winner for the Seagulls 10 minutes from time after Alexandre Lacazette had cancelled out Adam Webster’s opener for Brighton.
Defeat leaves Arsenal in 10th and 10 points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea in the hunt for Champions League qualification next season.
On this evidence there is little chance of Ljungberg landing the job on a permanent basis as another sparse crowd at the Emirates greeted the final whistle with a chorus of boos.
Mooy was easily the standout for Brighton and the Australian midfielder won plaudits from those at home and abroad for his match-defining performance as he recorded the most dribbles, passes and tackles for Brighton. At the same time social media savaged a listless Arsenal for yet another meek showing.
Chief football writer for UK newspaper The Times, Henry Winter, was among many to lavish praise on Mooy.
Aaron Mooy ran the game. #bhafc midfielder showed more energy, heart, drive, even passing range than any of #afc more celebrated players. The game's about character as well as technique and Mooy wanted the ball more, and wanted victory more. #ARSBHA #ARSBRI
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) December 5, 2019
Australia played a huge hand in that Brighton win over Arsenal. Aaron Mooy man of the match and @MatyRyan as safe as ever and with a crucial save
— Ray Gatt (@Gatty54) December 5, 2019
Aaron Mooy > Mesut Ozil (2015-) #ARSBHA
— Brenton Speed (@BrentonSpeed) December 5, 2019
Does any manager of a top 4 club watch this and say to themselves âJeez this Mooy looks a tad slow - but heâs a freaking amazing player with a football brain superior to any of my lot!!â
Aaron Mooy looking like a world beater out there
— Don Boye (@DonBoye_) December 5, 2019
Aaron Mooy balled tonight. Terrific performance.
— Deji Faremi (@deejayfaremi) December 5, 2019
And how good was Aaron Mooy? He's a top player, ran the game without breaking a sweat. He was puffing on a cigar doing round the corner passes. #afc #Brighton
— Warren Haughton (@WarrenHaughton) December 5, 2019
Massive for the once Arsenal supporting Maty Ryan. Clutch again. Aaron Mooy all class. â½ï¸ð¦ðº
— Daniel Garb (@DanielGarb) December 5, 2019
Arsenal an utter shambles. #ARSBRI
After a 2-2 draw at Norwich on Sunday in the first match since Emery was sacked, there was again no sign of a new manager bounce for Ljungberg’s home debut. Brighton dominated the first 45 minutes and could have gone in at the break more than one goal to the good.
Aaron Connolly should have turned Maupay’s shot across goal in at the far post before Bernd Leno had to show his reflexes to deny Maupay and Davy Propper with shots from outside the box.
The opener seemed only a matter of time for the visitors and arrived nine minutes before halftime when Arsenal failed to clear a corner and Webster fired home the loose ball from close range.
Going behind woke Arsenal. It could easily have levelled moments later when Joe Willock headed straight at Ryan from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s cross.
Willock was sacrificed at the interval as Ljungberg introduced club record signing Nicolas Pepe, who had started on the bench for the fifth straight league game under two different managers.
Ljungberg’s halftime tinkering did the trick as the hosts came out a different side in the second half.
Lacazette’s looping header brought Arsenal level just five minutes into the second period before Aubameyang was inches away from connecting with crosses from Hector Bellerin and Sead Kolasinac.
Brighton still posed a threat itself and fired a warning shot when Maupay failed to beat Leno from point-blank range.
David Luiz thought he had put Arsenal in front as he turned home from Mesut Ozil’s free-kick only for the Brazilian to rightly be ruled off-side after a VAR review.
Brighton made the most of that reprieve to win on the road in the Premier League for the first time since the opening weekend of the season as Mooy’s cross picked out Maupay to head into the far corner.