Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Arsenal - 5 Talking Points, Premier League 2018/19
Arsenal came away with a point from the Amex Stadium as Brighton held them to a 1-1 draw in the Boxing Day encounter. Brighton's home record was identical to Arsenal's fortunes on the road, so a draw seemed a fair result in the end.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring with a sublime curling effort in the first half, as Arsenal started the game strongly. But Brighton came into the game and drew level before half-time. Stephan Lichsteiner failed to clear and Jurgen Locadia pounced to make it 1-1.
Both teams had a go in the second half, but neither failed to alter the scoreline. Brighton held for the point which kept them in 13th place, comfortably above the drop zone. Chelsea's win over Watford meant that Arsenal dropped two points below the top four. They are currently six points above Manchester United in fifth place. Brighton, on the other hand, are locked in a mid-table battle.
Here are the major talking points from the game.
#5 Ozil's future at Arsenal in serious doubt
A new manager normally spells problems for some players, and Mesut Ozil seems to be one of those. Since Emery's arrival, the German has been on the periphery most of the times, and the future does not look promising.
Against Brighton, he was hauled off at half-time, due to tactical reasons solely. His failure to track Jurgen Locadia for the goal could be one of the reasons why. Ozil has not adopted to Emery's style, and his work rate and defensive contributions have not been up to the mark. The likes of Alex Iwobi, Aaron Ramsey, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have adopted better, and have played more minutes as a result.
Ozil has started just 11 games in the league, and he has been benched when fit as well. Despite the curtailed minutes, he still has created the most chances for Arsenal. His wages and contract place Emery in a sticky spot, and he will have to make a decision on Ozil sooner than later.