The big winner from Arsenal’s defeat at Brighton is obvious and Mikel Arteta now has a big problem

In terms of positives from the defeat at Brighton, there were few to take.

The Gunners were well and truly put in their place by a Seagulls side who seemed intent on proving to everyone they can be genuine challengers this season.

In terms of what went well for Arsenal, there was little that Mikel Arteta could take away in all honesty.

However, for one man sat quietly on the Arsenal bench, there must have been at least a tiny feeling of smugness as he watched his replacement struggle massively.

Myles Lewis-Skelly was the biggest winner from Arsenal’s 3-0 loss at Brighton

For weeks now, we’ve seen and heard calls from many who follow the Gunners for Mikel Arteta to put new signing Bruno Guimaraes in from the start.

This week, Arteta did just that, dropping Lewis-Skelly to the bench.

However, Guimaraes’ performance was nothing short of a disaster really. He struggled all game and was replaced around the hour mark, albeit not for Lewis-Skelly.

Instead, Lewis-Skelly remained on the bench for the entire game.

From there, he’ll have had the best seats in the house to see a midfield that, in reality, struggled without him in the middle of the park.

‘MLS’ has been a revelation ever since getting his chance in the middle at the back end of last season.

This season, Arsenal haven’t lost a game when Lewis-Skelly is in midfield. Now, on the first occasion he doesn’t play, they slip to a huge defeat.

For Mikel Arteta, this is now a problem. Does he stick with his big money signing and write the Brighton game off as a one off? Or does Lewis-Skelly come back in, having earned the trust already?

Ultimately, this is what Arteta is paid the big money for. But there is no question that Lewis-Skelly came out a winner this weekend.