Arsenal have reclaimed first place in the Premier League table following Saturday’s 2–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium.
When Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest earlier in the day, it knocked the Gunners down into second place, but Mikel Arteta’s team ensured that was a brief stay.
Martin Ødegaard broke the deadlock relatively early in the contest, before a Georginio Rutter own goal shortly after half-time looked as though it would secure an easy three points. But Diego Gómez cut into that advantage and Brighton had other opportunities to get level that they couldn’t take.
Dealt an injury blow right before the game was due to begin, it could have been a tricky afternoon for Mikel Arteta’s Gunners. But they took it in their stride and dominated for more than half the game, ultimately surviving Brighton’s attempt at a fightback.
Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Brighton (4-3-3)
GK: David Raya—7.8: Had barely anything to do all game until the closing stages, with a world class save at 2–1 a huge moment. Not all goalkeepers can keep concentration levels high like that.
RB: Declan Rice—7.2: Forced out of midfield to cover the injury absence of Jurriën Timber, but still made his impact with wicked set-piece delivery.
CB: William Saliba—6.9: Not an outstanding day at the office, but chances he will have his usual partner back from the start next time, after Gabriel appeared from the bench.
CB: Piero Hincapié—7.1: Completed a huge number of passes at high accuracy. Defensively, failed to win enough duels when it mattered.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly—6.2: A late addition to the lineup after Riccardo Calafiori got injured in the warm-up. This was his first start of the season and it felt like Brighton eventually targeted him—they might have had more joy had it happened sooner.
CM: Mikel Merino—7.0: Broke up play and made it hard for Brighton to gain a foothold through the first hour of the game. His radar was a little askew when he spotted Bart Verbruggen off his line.
CM: Martín Zubimendi—7.4: Functional on both sides of the ball but lost control as Brighton piped up.
CM: Martin Ødegaard (c)—8.6: A first goal of the season clearly meant a lot to the skipper after a challenging individual campaign marked by frustrating injuries.
RW: Bukayo Saka—8.6: The focal point of Arsenal creativity, particularly when the Gunners were on top in the first half. Comes away with an assist.
ST: Viktor Gyökeres—6.5: Having been booked early on, was he lucky to avoid a second yellow card for a foul in the first half? Missed two chances that could have put Arsenal out of sight before Brighton even stirred.
LW: Leandro Trossard—7.8: Plenty involved from a creative point of view and had a couple of decent opportunities of his own that he did not take.
| Substitute | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Gabriel (71’ for Lewis-Skelly) | 6.3 |
| Gabriel Jesus (71’ for Gyökeres) | 5.8 |
| Gabriel Martinelli (82’ for Trossard) | N/A |
Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Marli Salmon, Christian Nørgaard, Eberechi Eze, Ethan Nwaneri, Noni Madueke.
Brighton (3-4-2-1)
Starting XI: Bart Verbruggen; Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk (c), Diego Coppola; Ferdi Kadioglu, Yasin Ayari, Jack Hinshelwood, Maxim De Cuyper; Brajan Gruda, Diego Gomez; Georginio Rutter.
Subs used: Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer, Danny Welbeck, Charalampos Kostoulas, Tom Watson.
Player of the Match: Bukayo Saka
Arsenal 2–1 Brighton: How It Unfolded at the Emirates Stadium
Arsenal have historically struggled at home against Brighton in the Premier League, failing to win on five of eight previous meetings at the Emirates. But the Gunners started well here and should have taken the lead within a couple of minutes when a defensive mix-up presented Viktor Gyökeres with a glorious chance from the edge of the box that was just quite tame in the end.
Another opportunity followed quickly afterwards when Bart Verbruggen saved at the near post from Bukayo Saka, although Arteta didn’t need to wait much longer to see his team go ahead.
After more Arsenal pressure, the breakthrough came from Ødegaard in the 14th minute thanks to a moment of effortless quality from the captain. Saka made it on the right, laying off to Ødegaard, who whipped the finish into the near bottom corner of Verbruggen’s goal.
The Gunners continued to dominate, with Saka creating plenty down the right flank that didn’t quite amount to clear chances. On one of the few attacks that didn’t involve the winger, Leandro Trossard spearheaded a counter and Declan Rice had a shot headed away from goal by Lewis Dunk. Mikel Merino also went for the spectacular from the halfway line but missed the target, before Verbruggen saved well from Martín Zubimendi’s backheel following a penalty area scramble.
By the time the half-time whistle sounded, Arsenal had racked up 15 attempts on goal—five on target—while Brighton’s xG after 45 minutes amounted to a woeful 0.00.
Seagulls boss Fabian Hürzeler made a double change at the break to try and get something out of his team, still at that stage only a single goal behind, but Arsenal had their second of the afternoon seven minutes after the restart. The chance came from a curling Rice corner after Ødegaard had a good shot well blocked, glanced into his own net by the unfortunate Rutter.
Arsenal perhaps should have had a third when Gyökeres fired straight at Verbruggen from a narrow but inviting angle, only to then see Brighton come right back into it, totally against the earlier run of play. The equaliser came when Yasin Ayari struck the post, with Gómez quickest to react to turn in the rebound near the penalty spot.
Suddenly, Arsenal were under pressure, with Ayari having two further efforts blocked and the home side trying to take the sting out of things, leading to Myles Lewis-Skelly getting booked for timewasting with still over 20 minutes left.
Arteta wanted fresh legs up front and Gabriel Jesus, on for the underwhelming Gyökeres, almost made an instant impact. Only Lewis Dunk’s vital intervention stopped the Brazilian setting up a tap-in for Saka. At the other end, Brighton were then a world class David Raya save from pulling level, tipping over from Yankuba Minteh. Mats Wieffer headed wide from the resultant corner.
Arsenal should have killed things off inside the final 10 minutes, Gabriel Martinelli the guilty party when he lifted the ball over the bar from close-range when it was probably easier to score. Home fans wanted a penalty in stoppage time for a slight nudge in the back of Jesus as he tried to connect with a Martinelli cross, while Dunk raced back to stop Saka scoring one-on-one with Verbruggen.
It meant that Brighton had a chance of snatching something right until the end, with the final whistle prompting a huge sigh of relief from everyone of an Arsenal persuasion.
Arsenal vs. Brighton Half-Time Stats
| Statistic | Arsenal | Brighton |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 59% | 41% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.94 | 0.00 |
| Total Shots | 15 | 0 |
| Shots on Target | 5 | 0 |
| Big Chances | 1 | 0 |
| Pass Accuracy | 89% | 81% |
| Fouls | 3 | 9 |
| Corners | 2 | 1 |
Arsenal vs. Brighton Full Time Stats
| Statistic | Arsenal | Brighton |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 53% | 47% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 2.80 | 0.80 |
| Total Shots | 24 | 8 |
| Shots on Target | 6 | 3 |
| Big Chances | 2 | 1 |
| Pass Accuracy | 84% | 81% |
| Fouls | 7 | 13 |
| Corners | 7 | 2 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Brighton: Gunners Survive Late Scare.
