David Raya horror show sets tone for crushing Arsenal defeat as Brighton expose goalkeeper’s ultimate weakness

WOW. I’m struggling to think of when I have seen Arsenal played off the park like that. Credit has got to go to Brighton – they were absolutely fantastic, with and without the ball, particularly that press. David Raya endured a rough afternoon at the Amex and set the wrong tone early on Credit: PA The Gunners were swept aside 3-0 by Brighton Credit: Shutterstock Editorial They absolutely suffocated Arsenal. But Arsenal, let’s be honest, they were woeful and never got going. Sign up for the Arsenal newsletter Thank you! It all started from the very beginning of the match when there were a few loose passes from David Raya, who’s normally absolutely fantastic playing out from the back – and that set the tone. The goals that Arsenal conceded are the most un-Arsenal goals you can imagine under Mikel Arteta. Pascal Gross was given far too much time. Then Julio Enciso was given far too much time. Maybe Fabian Hurzeler had done his homework, though. Because 33 of the 160 Premier League goals David Raya has now conceded came from outside the box. That works out as 20.6 per cent – only Hans Segers (22 per cent) has a higher rate for goalkeepers with 100 or more goals shipped in Prem history. Most read in Football SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS And then to top it all off, Brighton scored the third from a set piece where Chema Andres is absolutely unmarked and can head home. This was a really awful day for Arsenal and quite a chastening afternoon. Arteta has built this side on being so formidable at the back. For them to be ripped apart like that is rough. But to put it into perspective, Arsenal have a lot of good results going into this international break with seven wins on the spin before the trip to the Amex. Bruno Guimaraes struggled in midfield against brilliant Brighton Credit: AFP Pascal Gross opened the scoring from range to catch Raya out again Credit: Reuters Chema Andres rose unchallenged to head in the third from a corner Credit: AFP I think if you’d have said to them you’d have had 12 points after these first five Premier League games, they’d have probably taken that given how tough the games were. But certainly it’s a wake-up call for them. And there are still some question marks over the midfield. Arteta boasts lots of options but what’s the right pairing for the right game? Bruno Guimaraes with Declan Rice didn’t really work, it was a tough game for the £75million new signing. So, lots for Arsenal to think about as we go into this big international break. Comment now