Three things we learned from Arsenal win as Gunners show ugly side on pivotal night

A Wednesday evening which decisively shifted the title race?

Time will tell, but Arsenal’s victory over Brighton will be considered crucial if the red ribbon is placed on the Premier League trophy in May.

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That 1-0 win at Amex Stadium was brutal in its own way. The Gunners took the lead through Bukayo Saka on nine minutes and then almost from there they held on.

There was no control, no composure on the ball, at least until Kai Havertz arrived in the second half, and instead Arsenal retreated to a remarkable defensive effort.

Meanwhile, Manchester City drew 2-2 against Nottingham Forest, putting Arsenal seven points clear at the top after playing a game more.

This means Arsenal can go to the Etihad Stadium next month, lose and still win the title.

Ugly and ugly Arsenal

There are hard-won victories and there are ugly victories. And then there’s everything that happened at the Amex.

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Arsenal fought for their lives in defence, spending much of the match in their own half and dealing with pressure from Brighton.

The midfield offered no control, the attack had no real respite for the first 70 minutes, and yet the Gunners still found a way. At this stage of the season, that’s all that matters.

Havertz made a big difference in getting Arsenal up the pitch, but there were still so many opportunities for Brighton to throw balls into the Arsenal box.

When Jurrien Timber sent the ball up the field without pressure with five minutes remaining in normal time, Mikel Arteta could only put his head in his hands.

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There was a huge roar from the away side at full time, and even louder a few minutes later when the Manchester news filtered through.

The town was held by Forest. On paper, it was a game week for Arsenal to try and go without any damage. Instead, they dealt a major blow.

Warrior performance from central defenders

With William Saliba missing due to an ankle injury, added responsibility fell on Gabriel’s shoulders at the heart of the defence.

He stepped up massively, keeping Brighton at bay in the first half almost single-handedly.

Gabriel was called into action within three minutes, coming back over the line to clear Carlos Baleba’s missed effort after David Raya’s dreadful fade.

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That set the tone for the Brazilian, who slid in brilliantly to block a Kaoru Mitoma shot and continued from there. In the first half alone, Gabriel made eight clearances as Brighton spent almost the entire half in Arsenal territory.

Piero Hincapie slotted into central defense for much of the second half, with Cristhian Mosquera coming off after almost avoiding a second yellow card, and he was also superb.

The Colombian hit a double-digit clearance and gained momentum as the pressure increased. Gabriel made ten with his head alone. Arsenal’s defensive pairing was extraordinary.

The gunners keep Brighton waiting

Fabian Hurzeler knew what he was doing in his pre-match press conference when he drew attention to the fact that no team in the Premier League takes more time than Arsenal.

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He wanted match officials to address any time wastage and for fans to play their part in putting pressure on officials. He got the latter, but Arsenal were unfazed.

The Gunners took their time in each restart, even in the face of the screams of the supporters and the constant dialogue between Hurzeler and the fourth official.

Arteta’s patience with Hurzeler broke midway through the half, pointing his finger angrily in the Brighton boss’s direction after his latest complaint.

When Hurzeler had a few words with Hincapie, handing him the ball for a throw-in and telling him to hurry up, the full-back laughed and put his finger to his lips.

This continued into the second half and it forced Arsenal to survive seven minutes of stoppage time. They kept their cool.