Wild Scenes As Brighton Boss Channels Inner Mourinho, Tuchel After Huge Win vs Arsenal

• Roberto De Zerbi made good his threat of showing the true Brighton after he thrashed Arsenal
• De Zerbi's appointment in the South Coast has been a revelation since the departure of Graham Potter
• He pulled off a celebration straight from Jose Mourinho's handbook after his side scored the third goal

As soon as Dwight McNeil forced Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper Jason Steele to turn the ball into his net for Everton's third goal on May 8, cameras turned to Head Coach Roberto De Zerbi.

His team was trailing 3-0 inside 35 minutes to relegation candidates in front of their own home fans. No one could believe it save for Sean Dyche, who maintained his characteristic Carlo Ancelotti aura and calmness as his side got a major lifeline in the race to survive the drop.

At halftime, bewildered De Zerbi sprung four changes as he attempted to claw his way back to the game. But McNeil added a fourth one and a fifth one later on, to render Alexis McAllister's consolation useless.

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De Zerbi's warning to Arsenal

After the game, De Zerbi sent a clear warning to Arsenal.

"On Sunday, we will show our quality, we will get back to our style and you will see the true Brighton," as quoted by Football London.

And oh boy, didn't we see the real Brighton at the Emirates. It takes lots of courage for a middle-table team to sound such a warning to title challengers and actually go through with it.

Credit to the Italian head coach, he talked the talk and walked the walk. A 3-0 victory for his side, a result that was celebrated wildly by Manchester City fans.

De Zerbi's tactical plan

Mikel Arteta's side looked a far cry from the club we've seen this year dominating opponents. The Seagulls allowed them to hold possession but every time they went forward, there was an uneasy shush around the stadium.

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A poor defensive clearance at the back allowed Julio Enciso to head in from close range six minutes after the break. Most sides, with a 1-0 lead away from home, often choose to get more defenders to protect their lead.

But not De Zerbi.

The former Sassuolo boss went with the bold option of withdrawing Billy Gilmour, a holding midfielder, for Danny Welbeck, a striker. He was not content with sitting back and soaking in the pressure. His substitution allowed his team to have more outlets up front.

Deniz Undav added a second one barely four minutes after coming on, with Pervis Estupinan grabbing a third one in stoppage time to effectively end Arsenal's title hopes.

One might argue that Brighton's goals might have been a little bit fortuitous, but going to the Emirates and coming out with a clean sheet is not something many teams can boast of this season.

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Mourinho, Tuchel famous celebrations

As soon as Estupinan's goal went in. De Zerbi rushed down along the touchline, did a knee slide celebration with occasional fist pumps in the air, happiness written all over his face.

His celebration echoed memories of how Jose Mourinho celebrated at Camp Nou after his Inter Milan side knocked out Barcelona en route to winning the 2010 Champions League title. Thomas Tuchel also ran almost to the corner flag after his Chelsea side scored against Antonio Conte's Tottenham.

In case you needed a reminder of how this season has been long, the Tuchel-Conte incident happened this season. After the Emirates game, De Zerbi hilariously asked reporters if they liked his Mourinho-like celebration.

He knew what he was doing.

What next for De Zerbi?

De Zerbi might have mimicked the celebrations of two great managers but as evidence shows, he is on course of being a top manager as well. There have been calls for him to manage a top club, but after Graham Potter's misfortunes, he will be wary not to make any hurried decisions.

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He has the tactical nous, the courage to make difficult decisions (the decision to ban and sell Trossard stands out) and the willingness to switch his tactics in-game. And he might have just handed Manchester City their third consecutive top-flight title.

Interesting times ahead.

Arsenal fans leave stadium before fulltime

Sports Brief had earlier reported that hundreds of Gunners were seen on the streets, out of the stadium, before the referee drew the game to a close.

The score was 2-0 as of this moment before Ecuadorian full-back Pervis Estupinan added a third to inflict further insult to the scoreline.