Former Crystal Palace forward, Clinton Morrison, has expressed surprise at David Raya’s performance during Arsenal’s 3 0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League.
Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the season at the Amex Stadium after struggling against a well organised Brighton side.
Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andres scored to give the hosts a convincing victory over Mikel Arteta’s team.
Speaking on Premier League Productions, Morrison said he was particularly surprised by the errors committed by Raya, who has otherwise enjoyed a strong start to the season.
“I’ve never seen them this bad, but listen, you can have games like this. They’ve started the season ever so well and I think you’ve got to give more credit to Brighton. But they were disappointing, Arsenal, the way they defended,” Morrison said.
He described the result as a reality check for Arsenal and acknowledged the difficulty of facing Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
“It’s a bit of a reality check for them. It’s not going to be easy to retain the Premier League and it’s a hard place to go, Brighton. It’s always difficult and they’re a good team with a good manager,” he added.
Morrison also singled out Raya’s display, saying the goalkeeper made several mistakes that were unusual compared with his recent performances.
“Even David Raya, who has demonstrated exceptional form, did commit several critical errors. It was quite atypical, particularly regarding his passing accuracy and similar aspects. Disappointing,” he stated.
The defeat leaves Arsenal in second place in the Premier League standings, three points behind Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta’s side will now head into the international break before returning to league action.
