Mikel Arteta keeps starting one Arsenal player in the wrong position and it cost them vs Brighton

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Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes took another knock following their frustrating 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion down on the south coast.

Arsenal have now dropped four points against Brighton in two controversial draws, with a penalty decision against William Saliba leading the complaints this time around.

Declan Rice was sent off against Brighton back in August after a dubious second yellow card, having been judged to have ‘delayed the restart’.

Arsenal have been on the wrong end of controversial decisions this season, something Mikel Arteta has often been outspoken about.

Gary Lineker thought Brighton’s penalty was wrong – he’d ‘never’ seen anything like it in all of his days watching football previously.

Thomas Partey couldn’t help Arsenal beat Brighton

Of course, Arsenal also failed to win on their own merits – their second half performance wasn’t good enough in spite of any refereeing decisions.

Once Ethan Nwaneri went off injured, Arsenal lacked creativity and class on the ball, something Thomas Partey wasn’t able to help with in his usual fashion.

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Partey was playing at right-back owing to those who are missing for the Gunners, a position that stifles his attacking threat.

Both Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are injured, and Jurrien Timber was also suspended after his yellow card against Brentford.

Whilst it’s hard to blame Arteta for making use of Partey as an emergency right-back, it’s also a decision that has been hurting the Gunners.

Given Brighton’s high press, Partey’s vertical passing could have been match-winning at the Amex Stadium, but he was instead defending one-versus-one against the likes of Kaoru Mitoma.

Jorginho wasn’t effective against Brighton, and Partey’s presence in the middle could have unlocked the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli who offered very little.

Mikel Arteta needs to take the handbrake off in pursuit of Liverpool

That said, some Arsenal fans will rightfully question who Arteta was meant to play at right-back instead.

Perhaps Josh Nichols could have come in, an 18-year-old right-back who was trusted in the EFL Cup.

Or maybe Arsenal could have even tried either Riccardo Calafiori or Myles Lewis-Skelly on the right.

Either way, Partey has been too important for Arsenal in midfield to simply use him as a makeshift right-back solution.

A midfield of Rice, Jorginho and Mikel Merino lacked in several areas, and Partey could have changed the complexion of the match, particularly in the second half.

Arteta definitely deserves sympathy for Arsenal’s unavailability crisis, but perhaps a braver decision would have better served the Gunners in pursuit of Liverpool.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	18	14	3	1	45	17	28	45
2	ArsenalArsenal	19	11	6	2	38	17	21	39
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	19	11	4	4	26	19	7	37
4	ChelseaChelsea	19	10	5	4	38	23	15	35
5	NewcastleNewcastle	19	9	5	5	32	21	11	32