BRIGHTON: The pressure on Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger intensified on Sunday when his side slipped to a fourth successive defeat in all competitions with a 2-1 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion.

After a bright start from the visitors, Lewis Dunk volleyed in to give the home side the lead, ensuring Arsenal’s run without a Premier League clean sheet stretched to 11 games — their longest such run since February 2002.

Glenn Murray made it 2-0 in the 26th when his header from Pascal Gross’ pinpoint cross squirmed under the diving Petr Cech, before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pulled one back for Arsenal two minutes before halftime by turning in Granit Xhaka’s drive across the face of goal.

Arsenal improved in the second half but Brighton held on to secure a third Premier League home victory in a row to go 10th, while an eighth defeat in all competitions in 2018 leaves Arsenal trailing north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who are fourth, by 13 points and two places.

“My future is not my main worry,” Wenger said. “It is not the first time I have lost so many games in row. I still believe I can do it [turn things around].

Arsenal are in sixth place and destined for another year out of the Champions League, unless they can win the Europa League to earn a direct passage to Europe’s top competition.

“It is very difficult, nearly impossible now,” Wenger said of Arsenal’s top-four chances, “we are too far behind. We need two teams to collapse, not one. But, at the moment we have different worries in how to come back to winning a game.”

Having been outplayed in back to back 3-0 defeats by Manchester City, first in the League Cup final and then, four days later, in the league fixture at the Emirates Stadium, the Gunners badly needed a lift ahead of Thursday’s Europa League meeting with AC Milan.

“We were passive, struggling for confidence and heavy-legged,” Wenger said, “but responded well in the second half. It is difficult to recover from what happened to us last week. We are going through a tough time.”

On Saturday, Liverpool moved into second place as Egyptian international Mohamed Salah continued his remarkable scoring run in a 2-0 victory at home to Newcastle United.

Salah scored for the seventh match running, taking his Liverpool total for the season to 32, when he put the home side ahead after 40 minutes.

He took Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s pass and shot low under Martin Dubravka for his eighth goal in his last seven appearances.

Sadio Mane’s goal in the second half, after a series of passes in the opposition half, ensured there was no joy for Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez, whose Liverpool team won the Champions League in 2005.

Manchester United will start next Saturday’s game at home to the Merseysiders back in second place if they win at Crystal Palace on Monday.

Tottenham, apparently affected early in the season by playing home games at Wembley, achieved a sixth straight win there by beating Huddersfield Town 2-0 with a double by Son Heung-min.

It was their 17th game unbeaten in all competitions and briefly moved them ahead of Liverpool. Spurs, who did not win in their first three league games there, are fourth, a point behind United.

Huddersfield’s chances of defeating Tottenham for the first time since 1956 were dealt a blow when Dele Alli sent Son racing clear of the defence to round goalkeeper Jonas Lossl for the opening goal in the 27th minute.

Son made it 2-0 in the 54th when he finished off a fine move by Tottenham, just moments after goalkeeper Hugo Lloris saved well from Tom Ince at the other end.

Next up for Tottenham is the Champions League second leg at home to Juventus on Wednesday. They go in at 2-2.

Also on Saturday, Swansea City continued their revival under new manager Carlos Carvalhal by thrashing West Ham United 4-1, and Burnley came from behind to defeat Everton 2-1 and reach 40 points in the league for the first time.

Cenk Tosun put the visitors in front with his first goal for the club but Burnley fought back through Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood. Everton defender Ashley Williams was sent off in the 86th minute for elbowing Barnes.

Watford piled on the misery for West Bromwich Albion by beating the bottom club 1-0 with a goal from captain Troy Deeney. Riyad Mahrez scored seven minutes into stoppage time to earn Leicester City a 1-1 home draw with Bournemouth, and second-bottom Stoke drew at Southampton 0-0.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2018