Carabao Cup Third round action saw two high-flying sides as Arsenal and Brighton met at the Emirates.
The Gunners, who continue to reign at the top of the Premier League table, fielded a largely changed side, featuring 10 alterations from their win at Chelsea.
Brighton, who’ve started to play the De Zerbi way to great effect, also featured some changes across the board, but certain key figures were still present.
The game itself saw Arsenal pick up the lead in the 20th minute through a wonderful finish by Eddie Nketiah. But the advantage didn’t last long as Danny Welbeck won a penalty for the Seagulls, and swiftly converted on his return to the Emirates.
The home side’s early dominance seemed to waver as time went on, with Brighton’s counter-attacks proving too hot to handle for a largely rotated Arsenal.
Eventually, the visitors grabbed the lead through Karou Mitoma, before 22-year-old Tariq Lamptey added a third and sealed a Brighton victory.
The talented youngster launched into a blistering run from within his own half and met Billy Gilmour’s pass in midfield with a well-calculated first touch. He tapped the ball forward and into the Arsenal area before finding a clinical finish and making it 3-1 to Brighton.
The goal capped off an impressive display from the Ghana International, and one that his teammate Danny Welbeck seemed particularly proud of.
During the goal celebrations, the forward lifted Lamptey aloft for the away end to behold, drawing obvious comparisons to an iconic scene from the animated classic ‘Lion King’.
With Welbeck and Lamptey filling in for Simba and Rafiki, the Brighton away support played its part as the townsfolk.
Sadly, there were no rays of sunlight present at the 8 pm kickoff, so Lamptey had to bask in the Emirates’ lights instead.
Fans online loved the celebration and credited Welbeck for being an excellent senior figure.
The striker is known to be a great personality on and off the pitch, and by the looks of it, he’s taken the young fullback under his wing.
And while Lamptey is unlikely to be the successor to his centre-forward slot, the former Chelsea player certainly has the potential to excel in his position.
