Arsenal continued to do their part in the Premier League’s three-way title race as goals in each half saw them get the better of Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
After a hard-fought opening half hour, Arsenal struck first when Bukayo Saka put away a penalty. The England international sent Bart Verbruggen the wrong way, stepping up after Gabriel Jesus bamboozled Tariq Lamptey to earn the spot-kick.
Mikel Arteta’s team chased a second after the break, with Verbruggen needing to be alert to deny Martin Odegaard, but they finally got the breakthrough just after the hour mark when Kai Havertz tapped home from close range.
Leandro Trossard came off the bench to make it three against his former club, and the result was enough to ensure Arteta’s men returned to the top of the table ahead of Sunday’s fixtures. Liverpool can reclaim top spot with three points away to Manchester United, but the pressure is very much on.
Arsenal almost went in front inside two minutes, with Gabriel beating Bart Verbruggen to a Martin Odegaard free-kick but heading wide. The Gunners had some issues with quick Brighton breaks, with Julio Enciso sending one chance high over the bar.
The returning Saka then went close to breaking the deadlock, cutting inside and curling just wide, and the winger later fed Gabriel Jesus for a shot which was kept away well by Verbruggen. It was those two who combined for the spot-kick which gave Arsenal the lead, though the visitors needed a big hand from David Raya to deny Julio Enciso and keep it 1-0 at the break.
There was still a sense Arsenal might need a second, and there was no chance of a Brighton comeback after Havertz slotted home. Trossard’s goal will have been a sweet moment for the Belgian, once of Brighton, and another boost for Arsenal’s goal difference.
A comfortable away win was the perfect response after title rivals Manchester City won earlier in the day, and puts the pressure on Liverpool’s trip to Old Trafford on Sunday. Here are Mirror Football’s talking points from the Saturday evening game at the Amex Stadium.
While some of the changes made by Mikel Arteta were predictable, there had been doubts over the availability of Bukayo Saka. The wide man missed the midweek win over Luton after leaving the field early against Manchester City,
The England star might have been off the boil a little at the Etihad Stadium, but there were few signs of his injury issues this time around. Saka was active early on in some of Arsenal’s best attacking work, and was the coolest man on the field as he tucked away his penalty.
Arsenal only got an hour out of Saka in the end, with the winger making way in a double change shortly after the second goal went in. With some huge games on the horizon, beginning with Bayern Munich on Tuesday, they’ll want to avoid taking too many risks where possible.
While Gabriel Jesus’ part in the penalty was the biggest one, it wouldn’t have been possible without the input of goalkeeper David Raya. The Spaniard set his team-mates downfield when he threaded the eye of the needle with a risky pass out from the back, but sometimes you need risk for reward.
There were questions asked of Raya early on in his time in North London, but these are the moments he was signed for. Arsenal might not have immediately scored from the attack, but it allowed them to pin their opponents back before getting Jesus one-on-one with Lamptey and able to take full advantage.
The save Raya made to deny Enciso a minute from the break is something which backup Aaron Ramsdale will feel he’s also capable of producing. The distribution is a different matter, though.
Roberto De Zerbi has made no secret of Brighton’s injury problems, and there are two ways in which those issues manifest. It’s not just being robbed of players mid-game, but also the challenge in keeping a consistent line-up throughout the season.
Julio Enciso impressed going forward, while Jakub Moder threatened for the hosts early on. Both are recently back from long-term absences, though, meaning the individual moments aren’t always matched by consistent fluidity.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side only have two bottom-half teams to face between now and the end of the season. If they can’t rediscover their impressive early-season form before the worst of the injury crisis hit, it could be an underwhelming end to the campaign.
Brighton got plenty of change out of their right flank in the first half, with Oleksandr Zinchenko seemingly identified as a potential weak link. There was another shaky moment early in the second period, again unpunished, but Mikel Arteta might not have been delighted with what he saw.
Going into the game, Arsenal hadn’t conceded an away league goal since the end of January. It’s clear teams have found it tough to get at them, but Arteta – ever the perfectionist – will want to cut out even the smallest openings as far as the league’s best defence is concerned.
Perhaps he saw it as a trade-off, though. Yes, Zinchenko was relatively isolated by Gabriel Jesus’ high starting point on the left-flank, but Arsenal took advantage of this to get their noses in front and stayed there.
The pressure was on Arsenal after Manchester City’s lunchtime win at Selhurst Park. City trailed early on against Crystal Palace, but their response was one of a team who don’t look like drawing another blank in a hurry after their stalemate against the Gunners.
