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2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 17
Arsenal v Brighton & Hove Albion
Etihad Stadium
Manchester, England
Saturday, 16 December 2023
Kick-off is at 15h00
Arsenal will target a return to winning ways in the
Premier League when Brighton visit the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, December 17.
The Gunners saw a four-match winning streak come to and end with a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa at VIlla Park on December 9, which resulted in them being knocked off the summit by Liverpool.
Villa closed within a point of Mikel Arteta's side in third place, while the Reds went one clear at the top of the table courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Manchester City are a further three points adrift of the North Londoners in fourth position after arresting a four-game winless run with a 2-1 success over Luton at Kenilworth Road on December 10.
The Seagulls had to battle back from behind to draw 1-1 with Burnley at the Amex as they missed out on the chance to climb above Newcastle (7th) and Manchester United (6th) in the standings following losses for those two teams.
Gabriel Martinelli hasn't quite made the impact he'd hoped for this season despite causing defenders all sorts of problems with his pace and guile from the left. The Brazilian winger had contributed just two goals and two assists from his 14 appearances, although he created a great chance for Bukayo Saka against Villa early on, only for his team-mate not to make clean contact with the cross at the back post.
Simon Adingra looks to have settled in hew new surroundings since making the switch from Union SG in the off-season. The Ivorian winger had a superb game against the Clarets, heading Albion level in the second half to register his fourth goal of the campaign, while he created chances for Evan Ferguson and Jack Hinshelwood with fine crosses.
Arteta was left to rue missed opportunities against Villa after the Gunners dominated proceedings in Birmingham but failed to find the back of the net.
"I'm very disappointed with the result," the Spaniard said. "When you perform the way we did today against this team, I haven't seen a team do what we did to Villa today but we still lost it.
"We weren't involved enough in the opponent's box, and we had to defend one or two times in our box and that was one of the reasons why. We had some real open situations to put the ball in the back of the net or to make a pass where the goal was completely open but we didn't find it."
Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi admits he has a few things to ponder after dropping more points in a game his players bossed, but insists they will continue to work hard in a bid to reach the next level.
"I'm frustrated and I go home to think what else we need [to do] to win the game," De Zerbi said. "I consider my team to be very good and no-one believes in my players more than me.
"But we are not a top team yet - a top team wins against Fulham, Sheffield United and today. In those three games we deserved to win [because] we were better than the opponent.
"But we want to keep at this level and keep at our dream. Last season no-one thought we could reach the Europa League but we did it. We can't forget Brighton is not a top team like Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Newcastle yet."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Arsenal - 2
Brighton - 2
Draws - 1
Premier League Matchday 17 fixtures:
Friday, December 15
20h00: Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Hotspur
Saturday, December 16
15h00: Bournemouth v Luton Town
15h00: Chelsea v Sheffield United
15h00: Manchester City v Crystal Palace
15h00: Newcastle United v Fulham
17h30: Burnley v Everton
Sunday, December 17
14h00: Arsenal v Brighton & Hove Albion
14h00: Brentford v Aston Villa
14h00: West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers
16h30: Liverpool v Manchester United
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