Roy Keane has pinpointed the two matches that “stand out” as being crucial as Arsenal lost their way in the Premier League title race.
Julio Enciso, Deniz Undav and Pervis Estupinan scored second-half goals from Brighton on Sunday to at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday in a defeat that almost certainly ended their title chances.
If Manchester City beat Chelsea on Sunday then they will retain their Premier League title but they could win it even earlier if Arsenal lose to Nottingham Forest the day before.
Arsenal led the Premier League standings for most of the season but their form over the past month has seen them lose their grip and Keane reckons 2-2 and 3-3 draws to struggling West Ham and Southampton were crucial.
“I think when you look at the last five or six weeks, the West Ham and Southampton games stand out for me,” Keane said on Sky Sports.
“I know they lost at Man City and dropped points against Liverpool but that can happen. They’ve won 25 league games which is fantastic but those two games [West Ham and Southampton] knocked them back a little bit. We saw a team today who looked physically and mentally shot.
“I think the bottom line is Arsenal don’t have the strength and depth of Manchester City. They have come up short. It’s as simple as that.
“They will need four or five new players but that’s easier said than done. They need to get the right players with the right character so if they get in this position again, pole position, they will have a chance to see it through.”
A disappointed Mikel Arteta apologised to supporters after Arsenal’s poor second-half performance against Brighton.
The Arsenal boss said: “A week ago I was standing here feeling proud and today we have to apologise for the performance in the second half. It was not acceptable.
“Mathematically, it’s still possible, but today it’s impossible to think about it. We need to digest the result and the performance in the second half, understand why and have a different reaction.
“Brighton were really good when we became really poor. Before that it was the game we expected. The first half we knew that, the way they play, they make the game competitive.
“It was difficult to get a long sequence of play. We conceded when they were direct in behind and the second one we gave away was a silly one. Then the team had no answers.
“After a defeat like this at home you have to make analysis of yourself first before looking at anybody else.”
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