BEVERLY HILLS, May 23, (THEWILL) – Arsenal’s sensational left-footed player, Nicolas Pepe, netted a final day brace to give the north London English Premier League side a 2-0 victory over Brighton Hove and Albion as they ended the season with five straight wins but their late resurgence was not enough to capture an Europa Conference League position.
The Gunners dominated the whole game and though the Seagulls were diligent in defence they were fortunate Rob Holding’s close-range goal was offside after Thomas Partey’s flick on from a corner and Gabriel’s header came back off the bar to concede earlier than they actually did.
It was left to Pepe, whose two fine finishes saw the Ivorian forward give Arsenal all three points and put the game to sleep. His first strike crashed into the net from a half-volley with his preferred left foot after Callum Chambers played the ball inside to him.
For his second, Pepe directed a precise, guided effort through Brighton goalkeeper Lewis Dunk’s legs and inside the far post to complete the scoring. Arsenal could have scored more to stretch the margin but midfielder Thomas Partey could not hit his pass from Granit Xhaka beyond the crossbar.
However, north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to Kelechi Iheanacho’s Leicester City to claim the only European playoffs place, knocking the Gunners out of contention completely.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
