The Independent
"Arsenal would have headed into the season’s restart still harbouring hopes of a strong finish to secure European football for next season, even if that was only in the Europa League again," writes Karl Matchett for the Independent.
"But with zero points from their first two games back, those hopes will fade fast if they cannot overcome the troubles of earlier in 2019/20.
"Arsenal were already the team with the most draws in the league before this fixture and they’re now close to having as many defeats as wins this season, too – a clear indication of their need to improve efficiency in both penalty boxes.
"Some of the play is exceptional and Arteta is slowly getting his tactical message across, but until the Gunners can consistently win matches they’ll continue to fall short of achieving their aim – particularly galling when the likes of Wolves and Sheffield United remain above them in the table."
The Guardian
"If Mikel Arteta is right, and Arsenal could not afford to slip up here in their pursuit of the European spots, then this was a devastating blow," writes Nick Ames for the Guardian.
"They had taken the lead through a marvellous goal from Nicolas Pépé midway through the second half and given the authority with which they had played for most of the afternoon there should have been little cause to expect what followed.
"But a resilient Brighton equalised quickly through Lewis Dunk and then, in a development that will nauseate Arsenal for two reasons, Neal Maupay floated in a superb winner with the final action of the game.
"Maupay was at the centre of angry scuffles at full-time, with Mattéo Guendouzi particularly keen on an exchange of views and appearing to grab towards Maupay’s throat.
"The identity of Brighton’s match-winner must have enraged his opponents. He had already been central to the game’s abiding image, which was formed nine minutes before half-time when Bernd Leno, attending to a bouncing ball on the left side of his area, claimed it ahead of the striker.
"Leno had been comfortable favourite to win that battle, both through proximity and an extra seven inches in height."
Daily Mail
"Before the Premier League restart, Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin made a pledge. He would, he said, plant 3,000 trees in the Amazon Rainforest each time his team won until the end of the season. It is a worthy idea but you can probably spot the flaw.," writes Oliver Holt for the Mail.
"Two games in, the diggers are still waiting and the spades are still clean.
"Poor Arsenal have already emerged as the horror show of the second part of this interrupted season, even though it is only five days old.
"They capitulated to Manchester City at the Etihad on Wednesday and had two players carried off on a stretcher and David Luiz sent off for general haplessness. Their highest-paid player, Mesut Ozil, did not even make the bench.
"Yesterday, against relegation-threatened Brighton, they blew a one-goal lead given them by a sumptuous strike from Nicolas Pepe, conceded a soft equaliser scored by Lewis Dunk seven minutes later and succumbed to a 95th-minute winner from Neal Maupay.
"If that were not enough, their bad luck redoubled when they lost their goalkeeper, Bernd Leno, to what looked like a serious knee injury."
The Mirror
"It was another frustrating game for the Premier League's second top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who, like against City, failed to have any real influence on the match," writes Alex Milne for the Mirror.
"He spent most of the game drifting to the left-wing rather than playing as a natural centre-forward, and he struggled to beat a man or put in any really successful dribbles.
"Aubameyang's ineffectiveness will come as a worry for Gunners fans given how much he has carried the side on occasions this season, and surely it is time for his manager Arteta to find a way to play him in his favoured position soon given how important his goals are for the team."
