WHAT HAPPENED
Our five-match unbeaten run in all competitions came to an end on Saturday afternoon as we fell to a 1-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Under-18 Premier League.
Jack Wilshere's side picked up where they left off from Monday's FA Youth Cup win over Watford and took the lead inside 10 minutes through Mathaeus Roberts curling effort from the edge of the box.
The hosts restored parity midway through the half, Harry Mills beating Noah Cooper with a free-kick from the right-hand side of the area.
Brighton & Hove Albion took the lead moments later, Yussif Owusu receiving a cross-field pass on the left, before firing into the opposite corner.
Daniel Oyetunde was brought on by Wilshere at the break in the hope of increasing our firepower, but it was the hosts who started the second half with a bang - Mills scoring his second after latching onto a dangerous delivery into the box.
Ismeal Kabia came off the bench to make his debut at this level as we continued to push for a way back into the game in the closing stages.
Unlike Monday's second-half comeback against Watford, our young Gunners were unable to break down the Brighton & Hove Albion rearguard and fell to our first defeat in five matches.
WHAT IT MEANS
We drop down to ninth place in the Under-18 Premier League table, with 13 points after 12 matches played.
WHAT'S NEXT
We return to Under-18 Premier League action next week in a London derby against Chelsea on Saturday, February 18.
Kick-off at the Cobham Training Centre is at 11am (UK).
TEAM NEWS
Starting XI: Cooper, Rosiak, Robinson, Brown, Quamina, Ibrahim, Ismail Oulad M’Hand, Ferdinand, Gower, Roberts, Kamara
Substitutes: Okonkwo, Small, Kabia, Green, Oyetunde
Copyright 2025 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
