Carabao Cup: Arsenal 1-3 Brighton

Danny Welbeck scored 32 goals in 126 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal between 2014 and 2019

Premier League leaders Arsenal were knocked out of the Carabao Cup as Brighton gained a shock away victory.

Eddie Nketiah had given Arsenal the lead with a curling finish after Reiss Nelson’s run from the halfway line.

Danny Welbeck, who played for the Gunners in the 2018 final, made it 1-1 with a penalty after he had been fouled by debutant home goalkeeper Karl Hein.

Kaoru Mitoma put Brighton ahead after a neat passing move and Tariq Lamptey added a third with a low strike.

The loss in this third-round tie was only the third time in 20 matches in all competitions that Arsenal had been beaten this season.

Mikel Arteta made 10 changes from the 1-0 win at Chelsea and the Gunners looked on course for the last 16 when they took the lead through Nketiah’s excellent 20th-minute strike.

Eddie Nketiah’s goal was his third of the season for Arsenal, with him also scoring twice in the Europa League

However, their lead only lasted seven minutes.

Hein, a 20-year-old Estonia international goalkeeper who had a loan spell at Reading last season, was making his first senior appearance for the Gunners but brought down Welbeck, who then converted the spot kick.

Arsenal almost retook the lead when Nketiah fired a shot against the post from outside the penalty area with Albert Sambi Lokonga also shooting just wide.

Those misses proved costly as Mitoma got his second goal for Brighton in five days after also scoring in the 3-2 win at Wolves on Saturday, before Lamptey added a third.

On making 10 changes, Arsenal manager Arteta felt it had been the right thing to do.

“I would select the same players if I had the opportunity again,” he said. “There was a big difference between efficiency in both areas and we paid a big price for it.

“It’s a shame for the boys because they really tried and we should have scored two or three in the second half.”

When asked if the result suggests Arsenal need to add to their squad in the January transfer window, Arteta said: “That’s the squad that we have. We have to utilise in the best possible way and today we came short.

“It’s the same squad as when we win. I said from day one that we have a short squad because at the end we left some players. It’s what we have.”

Brighton’s best performance in the EFL Cup came in 1978-79 when they reached the quarter-finals, but this is now the third successive season where they have reached the last 16.

The draw for the next round will take place on Thursday night, following the match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

Line-ups

Arsenal

Formation 4-2-3-1

31HeinBooked at 26mins
17Cédric Soares
12SalibaSubstituted forGabrielat 63′minutes
16Holding
3TierneySubstituted forZinchenkoat 72′minutes
25ElnenyBooked at 25mins
23Sambi LokongaSubstituted forXhakaat 80′minutes
27MarquinhosSubstituted forMartinelliat 62′minutes
21Fábio VieiraSubstituted forGabriel Jesusat 72′minutes
24Nelson
14Nketiah

Substitutes

4White
5Partey
6Gabriel
8Ødegaard
9Gabriel Jesus
11Martinelli
30Turner
34Xhaka
35Zinchenko

Brighton

Formation 4-4-2

23Steele
34Veltman
5DunkSubstituted forWebsterat 60′minutes
6Colwill
2Lamptey
7MarchSubstituted forMitomaat 45′minutes
27Gilmour
25CaicedoBooked at 8minsSubstituted forGroßat 45′minutes
19SarmientoBooked at 43minsSubstituted forUndavat 79′minutes
20EncisoSubstituted forEstupiñánat 76′minutes
18Welbeck

Substitutes

1Sánchez
4Webster
13Groß
21Undav
22Mitoma
28Ferguson
30Estupiñán
43Turns
49Moran

Live Text

Match ends, Arsenal 1, Brighton and Hove Albion 3.
Second Half ends, Arsenal 1, Brighton and Hove Albion 3.
Foul by Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal).
Pascal Groß (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Rob Holding (Arsenal) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Cédric Soares with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Kaoru Mitoma.
Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Pascal Groß.
Foul by Rob Holding (Arsenal).
Pervis Estupiñán (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Reiss Nelson (Arsenal) right footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Attempt saved. Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Cédric Soares with a cross.
Reiss Nelson (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Pervis Estupiñán (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Foul by Granit Xhaka (Arsenal).
Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Pervis Estupiñán.
Attempt saved. Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Gabriel Jesus.
Foul by Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal).
Tariq Lamptey (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal).