Arsenal's restarted Premier League season went from bad to worse Saturday, and Neal Maupay let them know about it.
Brighton hadn't won in nearly six months, but the Seagulls officially ended their 176-day drought with a win over the Gunners thanks to Maupay's stunning stoppage-time finish in a 2-1 victory at the American Express Community Stadium.
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Arsenal's 1-0 lead didn't last very long, as Lewis Dunk equalized seven minutes after Nicolas Pépé opened the scoring. Maupay was Brighton's hero, but Arsenal viewed him as a villain after a first-half collision with Gunners goalkeeper Bernd Leno forced the German to be stretchered off. Arsenal players confronted Maupay after the final whistle, and the 23-year-old talked plenty of trash after the match.
Maupay, of course, also scored the winning goal in Brighton's 2-1 victory over Arsenal back in December.
Now that is banter.
Soccer
Although Brighton went nearly half a calendar year without a victory thanks to the Premier League's coronavirus suspension, but they've had Arsenal's number for the last few seasons. The Seagulls are unbeaten against the Gunners since 2018, winning three of those five matches.
Brighton boosted their chances of avoiding relegation, with the added benefit of damaging Arsenal's hopes of qualifying for Europe. Arsenal's 3-0 loss to David Luiz Manchester City on Wednesday came in the Gunners' game in hand, and Mikel Arteta's side now must hope for results to go their way during the rest of Project Restart's first full match window. As of this writing, Arsenal are eight points back of fourth place -- and six of fifth -- while having played one more match than the teams they're chasing.
Maupay sealed their fate, and he's surely due for an icy reception when he next travels to the Emirates Stadium and fans are allowed in the stands.