Arsenal strolled to a 2-0 win against Brighton at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.
Arsenal were unable to break the deadlock in the first half despite their dominance, but Jesus swiftly gave the Gunners the lead just after the break. The hosts continued to control the game and eventually wrapped up the victory with Havertz’s late effort.
The result leaves the Gunners in a strong position in the title race, moving them above Liverpool prior to the Reds’ clash with Manchester United.
How the game unfolded
With Manchester City dropping points against Crystal Palace on Saturday, Arsenal knew a victory would send them five points clear of the champions. The Gunners started the game on top as efforts from Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard went close for the hosts in the first 15 minutes, but Brighton had shown their quality in possession too.
Arsenal continued to probe as the half wore on but failed to stretch Bart Verbruggen in the Brighton goal. The hosts’ best opening came when Odegaard’s exquisite outside of the foot pass sent Saka through on goal just after the 30-minute mark, Gabriel Martinelli failing to keep his shot down from the Englishman’s pullback.
Martinelli also saw an effort rebuffed by Verbruggen from a tight angle following a lovely Arsenal move, but, despite plenty of possession and some promising openings, Mikel Arteta’s men couldn’t find a breakthrough before the half-time whistle.
Having failed to register a single shot in the first half, Roberto De Zerbi needed improvements from his Brighton team after the break, but Arsenal continued to command proceedings. In fact, it took the Gunners just eight minutes to take the lead, Jan Paul van Hecke flicking Saka’s corner to the far post and Jesus heading into an empty net.
Young substitute Jack Hinshelwood provided the Seagulls’ first effort on goal, but his header was too tame to test David Raya, while Saka slammed the side netting from the subsequent attack at the other end.
Arsenal would have had a second from a corner if it wasn’t for Lewis Dunk clearing off the line after 68 minutes, with Verbruggen forced to repel a close-range Odegaard shot just five minutes later. Pascal Gross almost made the hosts pay for their profligacy late on, but the German somehow sent Kaoru Mitoma’s cross wide.
However, it was Kai Havertz who would provide the killer touch for the Gunners with three minutes to play, the German slotting coolly beyond Verbruggen to earn Arsenal a much-deserved three points at the Emirates.
GK: David Raya – 6/10 – Some questionable distribution from the Spaniard and there were palpable nerves from the Arsenal supporters when he was called upon.
RB: Ben White – 7/10 – Booked late in the first half as Kaoru Mitoma sprinted clear of him, but was largely a spectator as the Japan international rarely tested him.
CB: William Saliba – 8/10 – An incrediblly calming presence, dealing with Evan Ferguson and his replacement Joao Pedro very well indeed. He will face tougher tests.
CB: Gabriel – 8/10 – Strong defensively and more than matched his centre-back partner’s display.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7/10 – Always a threat stepping forward with the ball, gliding down the left wing and through central areas.
CM: Martin Odegaard – 8/10 – One sensational pass in the first half that took the breath away of every supporter inside the stadium and was at his elegant best throughout. Deserved a goal contribution for a fine performance.
CM: Declan Rice – 7/10 – Another accomplished performance from the £105m man who helped Arsenal dominate the midfield battle.
CM: Kai Havertz – 7/10 – A relatively quiet display up until his goal, but secured the points with a smart finish late on.
RW: Bukayo Saka – 8/10 – Terrorised James Milner throughout in what was an enormous mismatch. His dangerous corner set up the opener and he proved too much to handle at times for the Brighton backline.
ST: Gabriel Jesus – 8/10 – Often involved in and around the area, providing the crucial breakthrough for the Gunners just after half-time with a poacher’s goal.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli – 7/10 – Showed glimpses of his raw speed down the left flank, but was often guilty of overplaying. Delivered some deadly inswinging corners.
Substitutions
SUB: Eddie Nketiah (81′ for Jesus) – 7/10
SUB: Leandro Trossard (81′ for Martinelli) – 6/10
SUB: Emile Smith Rowe (89′ for Havertz) – N/A
SUB: Reiss Nelson (89′ for Saka) – N/A
SUB: Jakub Kiwior (90′ for Zinchenko) – N/A
Subs not used: Ramsdale (GK), Cedric, Lewis-Skelly, Walters.
Manager
Mikel Arteta – 8/10 – His Arsenal side were dominant throughout and really should have won by a larger margin, but they still made a difficult fixture look fairly simple.
GK: Bart Verburggen – 7/10 – Only forced to make some simple stops in the first half and was helpless with the opener. Made some more challenging saves later on.
RB: Joel Veltman – 6/10 – Dealt with Martinelli well in the opening stages but was forced off with a knee injury in the first half.
CB: Jan Paul van Hecke – 7/10 – Made some important early interventions for the visitors and threw himself in front of every shot. His touch helped the ball on to Jesus for Arsenal’s opener, but he still performed admirably at the Emirates.
CB: Lewis Dunk – 7/10 – Incredible commitment from the captain who was often the last line in defence. Cleared one off the line just a minute after taking a powerful Odegaard shot to the crotch.
LB: James Milner – 5/10 – Had to feel sorry for the 37-year-old in the early stages as he was tormented by Saka, often left chasing his shadow. Eventually substituted when De Zerbi saw sense.
CM: Pascal Gross – 6/10 – Forced into doing plenty of defensive work and made a number of good blocks from long-range efforts. Should have grabbed a late equaliser when Arsenal were only one goal to the good, although it would have been very undeserved.
CM: Billy Gilmour – 6/10 – Comfortable in possession despite Arsenal’s intense press and put in plenty of hard work.
RM: Simon Adingra – 5/10 – Pretty much anonymous, seldom causing Zinchenko any issues down Brighton’s right side.
AM: Adam Lallana – 6/10 – Dropped into some neat holes in between Arsenal’s defence and midfield. However, he couldn’t do too much to hurt the backline.
LM: Kaoru Mitoma – 5/10 – A disappointingly quiet afternoon from one of Brighton’s most creative outlets. Should have tested White more, especially with the defender on a yellow card for a significant amount of the game.
ST: Evan Ferguson – 6/10 – Held the ball up well on the rare occasions he actually received it, but was left incredibly isolated up top before being substituted.
Substitutes
SUB: Jack Hinshelwood (26′ for Veltman) – 6/10 – Coped well with Martinelli having been thrust somewhat unexpectedly into the action.
SUB: Igor (60′ for Milner) – 6/10
SUB: Joao Pedro (60′ for Ferguson) – 6/10
SUB: Facundo Buonanotte (60′ for Lallana) – 6/10
SUB: Danny Welbeck (79′ for Adingra) -6 /10
Subs not used: Steele (GK), Moder, Baleba, Dahoud.
Manager
Roberto De Zerbi – 5/10 – Not the usual intensity expected from the Italian’s Brighton side in attacking areas. A flat performance that his substitutes couldn’t influence.