Brighton ended Mateo Guendouzi’s Arsenal career and sparked infamous AFTV rant, with the help of Neal Maupay
Arsenal's Premier League clash with Brighton this weekend sparks memories of a spicy past between the clubs, consisting of late challenges, goading and hilarious fan rants.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side head to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday on a high after booking their place in the Europa League round-of-16 thanks to a 1-0 win over Marseille.
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The Seagulls will be hoping for a repeat of last season’s 3-0 win in north London that all-but ended Arsenal’s hopes of Premier League title glory.
But before last season’s exploits, things got a little heated on and off the pitch between the two sides during a clash in June 2020.
Former Brighton striker Neal Maupay was in the thick of the action that day and his late challenge in the first half saw Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno sidelined for more than two months.
The Gunners were dealt a further blow when Maupay netted twice late on to condemn Arsenal to a 2-1 defeat.
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Arsenal were incensed at the full-time whistle and none more so than midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, who grabbed fellow Frenchman Maupay by the throat before forcing him to the ground.
Shkodran Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac also weighed in on Maupay as tensions erupted at the Amex Stadium, despite the empty stands due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
Guendouzi was not finished. The Frenchman again made a beeline for Maupay before bragging about having higher wages than the striker and his Brighton teammates.
But Guendouzi ended up with egg on his face after it later emerged that Guendouzi was on a £40,000-a-week contract, while Maupay was earning £50,000-a-week.
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The incident ended up being Guendouzi’s last act as an Arsenal player as he later secured a loan to Hertha Berlin before another loan switch saw him move to French side Marseille, where he went on to secure a permanent deal.
The melee also led to a hilarious rant from AFTV contributor ‘Ty’ who went viral for his video condemning Brighton and calling Maupay a cheat... but not before kneeling to recognise the Black Lives Matter movement and saying thank you to the NHS.
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Ahead of Arsenal’s visit to the Amex the following season, Brighton’s social media team appeared to reignite the hostilities when posting an image of Maupay pretending to cry alongside the caption: “Arsenal at home is next.”
Thankfully the game has passed without incident but since tempers flared in 2020, with Brighton proving more than a match for Mikel Arteta’s side, particularly at the Emirates where they have won three times in all competitions.
De Zerbi will be hoping for more of the same on Sunday and a similar outcome to May’s 3-0 thrashing could see history repeat itself by denting the Gunners’ title ambitions.
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