Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang set an unwanted personal Premier League record on Saturday afternoon, as Arsenal were defeated 2-1 by Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Gunners took the lead through Nicolas Pepe, but the Seagulls battled back in controversial fashion, with Lewis Dunk bundling over the line and Neal Maupay netting a late winner.
The French striker had earlier been at the heart of the fixture’s flashpoint, as his collision with Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno led to the German stopper being stretchered off with an apparent knee injury.
Aubameyang endured a frustrating afternoon, unable to open the scoring for the Gunners before Pepe’s 68th-minute goal, and subsequently failing to take several chances to extend the Londoners’ advantage.
In total, the Gabon striker took seven shots against Brighton, but failed to find the net with any; for context, this is the most attempts on goal he’s taken in a match for Arsenal without scoring.
Of the forward’s seven shots, only three were on target, although he did see much more of the ball than he’d managed in Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat by Manchester City on Wednesday.
His toil epitomised a testing week for Mikel Arteta’s side, in which they’ve lost both of their matches since the resumption of play following the coronavirus-enforced suspension, and endured a series of injury problems in the process.
Despite not scoring, Aubameyang, who has been linked with the exit door at the Emirates Stadium this summer, did create one goalscoring chance for his teammates, and linked up well with the likes of Pepe and Bukayo Saka on occasion.
The loss means Arteta’s side remain in ninth, two behind their bitter London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in eighth following Spurs’ 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Friday evening.
The Gunners remain six points behind the Red Devils in fifth, and with eight games to play, have their work cut out if they’re to end the campaign with Champions League qualification.
It remains to be seen whether Auba will remain in North London beyond the end of the current season, having entered the final year of his contract with the Gunners.
The striker has been linked with a move to both Barcelona and Real Madrid, and at 31, still has something to offer at the highest level.
The reigning Golden Boot winner has scored 17 goals in 28 league appearances so far this term, having previously netted 49 top flight goals during his time with Arsenal since signing from Borussia Dortmund.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.png?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
