Another narrow, anxious victory, secured with the aid of an own goal, pushed Arsenal back to the summit of the Premier League table as they successfully responded to title rivals Manchester City’s win earlier in the day.
Arsenal`s previous record of winning only three out of eight Premier League home fixtures against Brighton suggested that a straightforward result was unlikely. These anxieties were compounded by significant pre-match injury woes: right-back Jurrien Timber was left out of the squad, and Riccardo Calafiori sustained a knock during the warm-up, forcing his replacement by Myles Lewis-Skelly.
In response to the defensive crisis, Declan Rice, arguably the season`s standout midfielder, was deployed in an emergency defensive role, covering the right-back position.
Relief came in the 14th minute through a moment of class from captain Martin Odegaard. After excellent build-up play by Bukayo Saka on the right wing, Odegaard drilled in a low left-footed shot to break the deadlock. This goal marked the captain`s return to strong form, and he combined effectively with Saka, both of whom were ably supported by Rice, who adapted to his unfamiliar defensive duties seamlessly.
The first half concluded with controversy surrounding referee John Brooks, who opted to keep the game competitive by sparing Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen a red card. Verbruggen dashed outside his area and executed a cynical challenge to hack down Gyokeres, but only received a booking.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler made tactical changes at halftime, which briefly injected a more threatening energy into his side’s play.
However, Arsenal soon extended their lead in the 52nd minute. Declan Rice delivered one of his trademark fizzing near-post corners, which French forward Georginio Rutter inadvertently headed into his own net with such precision that it appeared almost intentional. Rutter is not the first opponent to buckle under Arsenal`s set-piece pressure; this own goal was the fourth scored in Arsenal`s favor across their last three home fixtures.
The comfortable lead nearly evaporated in the 64th minute when panic set in. Diego Gomez fired home a rebound after Yasin Ayari’s initial strike bounced back off the post. Arsenal subsequently began sitting too deep, allowing vulnerability to creep back into their defense.
It took a spectacular intervention from goalkeeper David Raya to preserve the points. Raya produced his latest candidate for save of the season, denying Yankuba Minteh an equalizer in the dying minutes, ensuring the Gunners secured another vital three points to keep their title charge rolling.
Mark Thompson
