Arsenal produced a fantastic all-round display to beat Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton 0-3 at the Amex in what was a real statement victory in the title race.
Mikel Arteta made four changes to his starting XI from the side that comfortably beat Luton Town 2-0 at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Jorginho and Gabriel Jesus coming into the side as Arsenal looked to make it 11 games unbeaten in the Premier League.
And the away side should have been one goal up inside the opening two minutes when a Martin Odegaard free-kick found the head of Gabriel but the Brazilian defender headed wide when it looked certain like he would give Arsenal a precious early lead on the South Coast. The Gunners had another great chance to open the scoring soon after when Saka struck just wide of the post after dancing past the Brighton defence.
After those two big misses, Arsenal would be given a golden chance to take the lead when a penalty was awarded following a foul on Jesus. The Brazilian had drove into the box and been brought down by Tariq Lamptey after a quick change of direction. Saka stepped up, almost a year to the day since his penalty miss in last season’s 2-2 draw at West Ham, and this time confidently dispatched his spot kick into the bottom left corner of the net to make it 0-1 and give Arsenal the lead they deserved. However, they could have lost it in the final minutes of the first half when Julio Enciso curled a great effort from the edge of the box which was heading for the top corner, but David Raya dived across to claw out the strike, sending Arsenal into the break a goal ahead.
Brighton began to have more of the ball in the second half but Arsenal continued to pose a threat in the final third, looked strong defensively and remained mostly in control of the midfield play. It was clear that a second goal was needed and that was exactly what they got around the hour mark when Jorginho drove to the byline inside the Brighton penalty area and his low cross was met by Kai Havertz who tapped home to extend Arsenal’s lead by two.
That second goal proved key as the life looked to have been sucked out of Brighton, Arsenal began to sit deep and protect the two-goal lead with Brighton seeing most of hte possession in their half. However, substriute Leandro Trossard would still possession and play a one-two with Havertz before chipping the ball over Bart Verbruggen to seal a fantastic victory which sees Arsenal (tempolarily at least) top the Premier League table with seven games to play.
The next match for Mikel Arteta’s side is a massive one and one of the Emirates’s biggest nights as Bayern Munich come to town in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals.
Player Ratings:
David Raya: 7 – Got another clean sheet and made one fine save in the first half
Ben White: 8 – Another brilliant performance from White both defensively and offensively
William Saliba: 8 – Oozed composure on the ball all afternoon
Gabriel: 7 – His touch was often slightly off and should have scored but was solid
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 7 – Controlled and composed throughout
Jorginho: 8 – Controlled the play and got a great assist for the 2nd goal
Declan Rice: 8 – Superb as usual
Martin Odegaard: 8 – Always on the move and linked the midfield togehter
Bukayo Saka: 7 – Back in the team and back with a goal, took his penalty brilliantly before being subbed after an hour for some rest ahead of Bayern
Kai Havertz: 9 – MOTM, goal and an assist in what was the German’s finest hour in an Arsenal shirt
Gabriel Jesus: 7- Was always a threat for Brighton which showed when winning the penalty