Arsenal 2-1 Brighton: Gunners survive Seagulls fightback to go back above Man City at top of Premier League | Football News
Arsenal held off Brighton’s fightback to return to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium.
Manchester City’s previous victory against Nottingham Forest meant the Gunners needed to win to get back on top of them, but they were forced to work for points despite dominating most of the encounter.
Martin Odegaard opened the scoring with a low shot from outside the box in the 14th minute for his first goal of the season, but Arsenal needed their fourth own goal in as many games, from Georginio Rutter, to double their lead after missing numerous chances.
Their wastefulness was almost punished after Diego Gomez buried a rebound midway through the second half, with goalkeeper David Raya then having to make a sensational full-length save to deny Brighton substitute Yankubah Minteh an equalizer.
Arsenal continued to create openings, but substitute Gabriel Martinelli denied the best of them when he fired in Saka’s cross. Viktor Gyokeres, meanwhile, had another frustrating afternoon, missing a one-on-one opportunity in the second minute.
Arsenal had 24 shots in total, but the match was ultimately decided by another own goal, with Rutter firing Declan Rice’s corner past Bart Verbruggen at the near post.
Arsenal’s preparations were once again disrupted by injuries, with the absence of Jurrien Timber meaning Rice had to replace right-back and Riccardo Calafiori had to be replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly due to a problem in the warm-up.
Despite this upset, they did not allow Brighton a single shot in the first half, although their lack of forward play left the game open, with Brighton’s goal causing nervousness among the home fans as Mikel Arteta looked to Gabriel Magalhaes’ return from the bench to help them see the game out.
The victory, although more difficult than it should have been, allows them to reopen their two-point lead at the top of the Premier League, with Brighton slipping to 12th, now without a win in five games.
Merse: Raya stoppage could be huge in title race
Speaking on Football Saturday, Aerial sports expert Paul Merson spoke about the importance of Raya’s save against Minteh in the 76th minute.
“Arsenal played well at times. They came out of the traps very well. They should have led 2-0 or 3-0.
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Paul Merson reacts to David Raya’s incredible save to deny Brighton an equalizer
“Gabriel Jesus came in and calmed him down. Gyokeres is fighting with the ball and everything is a fight. Jesus is calm and holding the ball. Gyokeres is trying too hard.
“If Arsenal go on and win the title we will have to go back to saving Raya.
“It was out of the ordinary. Nine times out of 10 it’s a goal.
“It’s huge for me. A huge, huge save.”
Hurzeler regrets Brighton’s first half performance
Brighton chief Fabien Hurzeler said: “In the first half, we didn’t play a good match. Without courage, without personality.
“The second half was completely the opposite. We had chances to make it 2-2. In the end, a disappointing result.
“I think small margins make the difference in this league, especially against the top teams.
“We definitely need to improve because the goals we conceded were more the result of individual errors on our part. That’s where we need to improve.”