Arsenal dominated Brighton to win 2-0 at Emirates Stadium, however, many will be wondering how it wasn’t more.
Since their promotion to the Premier League in 2017, Brighton have gone from strength to strength, especially in the last two years. The Seagulls now find themselves in the Europa League and one of the best possession-focused teams around.
But not just that, they have also been somewhat of a bogey team for Arsenal. With The Gunners only beating Brighton twice at home since 2017, and only one with a full crowd of fans – with Brighton winning the last three at Emirates Stadium in all competitions. But that bad run came to an end this time out as goals from Eddie Nketiah and Kai Havertz sealed a vital win.
Despite coming away empty-handed at Villa Park the previous weekend, there was still much to like about Arsenal’s performance. And that was shown in Mikel Arteta’s team selection. With the Arsenal manager picking an unchanged XI. Declan Rice started at the base of the midfield despite rumours that the record signing was ill the night before. Jorginho was missing from the squad with a foot problem but it does not appear to be anything serious.
Arteta’s side started fast, with Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen forced into a number of comfortable early saves. The first half was almost entirely played in the Brighton half, Arsenal creating chance after chance but not being able to find the net. Gabriel came closest for The Gunners midway through the first half with a close-range header which Verbruggen was equal too and despite having 15 shots to Brighton’s zero, the score remained 0-0 come the interval.
The start of the second half saw a similar theme to that of the first, with Arsenal continuing to create chances but without any end-product. Martin Odegaard forced a save from Vebruggen after some fantastic work from Martinelli. But finally, 8 minutes after the restart the breakthrough came when a Bukayo Saka corner was accidentally flicked on towards the back post by Brighton defender Paul Van Hecke and straight to Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus who headed into the net to give Arsenal the lead they very much deserved.
Despite getting the breakthrough, Arsenal wanted to kill the game off and get more goals but it just wouldn’t go in again. Declan Rice came close when he forced a strong save from Vebruggen after a brilliant solo run. Brighton, who has done almost nothing in the Arsenal defensive third all afternoon, properly should have snatched an equaliser with ten minutes to go when Pascal Gross stabbed the ball wide from close range. The chance was a big warning sign for Arsenal as they entered the final minutes of the game.
However, all potential nerves from the Arsenal crowd were gone in the 87th minute when substitute Eddie Nketiah played in Kai Havertz, and the German cooly slotted home to seal a deserved win for Arsenal. And a win which was much needed with last week’s defeat against Aston Villa.
Liverpool’s draw at home to Manchester United later on in the day sees Arsenal top the league table going into their final game before Christmas in a top of the table clash at Anfield.
Player Ratings:
David Raya: 7 – Nothing to do save-wise but distribution was solid
Ben White: 6 – Was ok and linked up well with Saka but a harsh yellow card in the first half restricted him a lot
William Saliba: 8 – Excellent in the tackle and in the air, as well as on the ball
Gabriel: 8 – Same as Saliba, so solid all afternoon
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 6 – Wasn’t bad but had some shaky moments in possession at times
Declan Rice: 9 – Outstanding once again. Not many players can make £100m look like a bargain but he is
Martin Odegaard: 8 – Was often frustrating in front of goal but was still excellent all round. A brilliant birthday performance
Kai Havertz: 8 – Was solid on and off the ball and got a great goal to seal the win
Bukayo Saka: 7 – Finishing was off somewhat but was always dangerous
Gabriel Jesus: 8 – Lit up N5 with some of his touches and got another goal to open the scoring
Gabriel Martinelli: 7 – Had some excellent moments with a brilliant nutmeg on Lewes Dunk the highlight