Brighton 0 Arsenal 1

My Albion supporting postman put it well when I said a week ago we are heading for a relegation dogfight

“Ivan, we are already in one.”

I’m getting sick and tired of the comment you hear in the media

“Brighton play better football than their position suggests.”

We are where we are and in my experience teams that do not deserve to go down do.

The basic problem of failing to score goals persists.

Against Arsenal head coach Graham Potter tried Ali Jahanbaksh, Alex Macallister – despite his Scottish sounding name an Argentinian – and Pascal Gross up front but still did not score, the wide spaces behind the wing backs Veltman and Bernardo were exploited especially by the pacy Saka of Arsenal.

It was predictable that the defender chasing him down was not the speedy Tariq Lamptey who failed a fitness test but big Dan Burn. Burn could not catch him, Saka crossed to Lacazette who scored. One goal is enough to beat Brighton.

Sheffield United look doomed and I never saw Sam Alladyce as a the saviour of WBA.

So it looks likes soon there will be only one relegation berth.  Fulham are much more effective than 3 months ago whilst Burnley under Sean Dyche have a fighting spirit.

So there is clear and present danger for the Seagulls, still without a home win, who meet Fulham on January 26 at the Amex which will be a crucial encounter and hopefully by then we would have shipped in a striker.