Arsenal held off Brighton’s attack and returned to the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium.
Manchester City’s earlier win over Nottingham Forest meant the Gunners needed a win to move back up the table, but despite dominating most of the game they were made to strive for points.
Martin Odegaard took the lead in the 14th minute with his first goal of the season with a low shot from outside the box, but Arsenal had a number of chances and needed Georginio Rutter’s fourth own goal of the game to cut their lead to two.
Their waste was about to be punished after Diego Gomez buried a rebound midway through the second half. Goalkeeper David Raya was then called upon to make a sensational all-out save to deny Brighton substitute Yankuba Minte an equaliser.
Arsenal continued to create gaps, but substitute Gabriel Martinelli converted a great opportunity with a shot from Saka’s cross. Meanwhile, Victor Gokeres endured another frustrating afternoon, missing a one-on-one chance in the opening two minutes.
Arsenal had 24 shots in total, but the game was ultimately decided by another own goal, with Rutter deflecting Declan Rice’s corner kick past Bad Verbruggen at his near post.
Arsenal’s preparations were once again interrupted by injuries, with Rice taking over at right-back due to Julian Timber’s absence, and having to be replaced by Miles Lewis-Skelly after Riccardo Calafioli picked up a problem during warm-up.
Despite this upheaval, Brighton did not concede a single shot in the first half, but a lack of sharpness left the game vulnerable, and Brighton’s goal caused tension among the home fans as manager Mikel Arteta looked to see Gabriel Magalhães back from the bench.
Although they struggled more than expected, the victory reasserted their two-point lead at the top of the Premier League, with Brighton now falling to 12th place without a win in five games.
Merce: “Raya’s save could be a big success in the title fight”
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson spoke on Soccer Saturday about the importance of Raya’s save from Minte in the 76th minute.
“Arsenal played well at times. They missed the traps very well. They should have been leading 2-0 or 3-0.
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Paul Merson makes a great save from David Raya to deny Brighton an equaliser.
“Gabriel Jesus came on and calmed the game down. Gokeres is fighting the ball, everything is a fight. Jesus is keeping his cool and keeping the ball. Gokeres is trying too hard.”
“If Arsenal go on like this and win the title, we will have to go back to saving Raya.
“It was substandard, nine times out of 10 it was a goal.
“That means a lot to me. A big, big save.”
Hürzeler slams Brighton’s first-half performance
Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler said: “We didn’t play well in the first half. We didn’t have any courage or character.”
“In the second half it was the complete opposite. We had chances to make it 2-2, but in the end it was a disappointing result.
“I think in this league, especially against the top teams, the little things make a difference.
“We definitely have to improve because the goals we conceded were due to our individual mistakes. That’s where we have to improve.”
