Arsenal beat Brighton 2-1 at the Emirates to return to the top of the Premier League, with goals from Martin Odegaard and a Georginio Rutter own goal sending the Gunners two points clear.
Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League with a tense 2-1 victory over Brighton at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners responded after Manchester City briefly overtook them earlier in the day. Mikel Arteta’s side now hold a two-point lead at the summit.
Martin Odegaard opened the scoring with his first league goal of the season. A Georginio Rutter own goal doubled the advantage early in the second half. Diego Gomez pulled one back to set up a nervy finish.
Arsenal began with urgency and intensity. Brighton struggled to play out from the back under sustained pressure. The opening goal arrived in the 14th minute after a costly mistake.
Bart Verbruggen’s goal kick was intercepted high up the pitch. Bukayo Saka reacted quickest and squared the ball to Odegaard. The captain fired a low strike from the edge of the area into the corner.
The goal reflected Arsenal’s early dominance. They registered 15 first half shots and restricted Brighton to none. Despite that control, the hosts went in only one goal ahead.
Arsenal doubled their lead seven minutes after the restart. Declan Rice delivered a dangerous corner from the right. Rutter flicked the ball into his own net under pressure.
It was the fourth own goal Arsenal have benefited from in their last four matches. At that point, the contest looked settled. Brighton had struggled to threaten throughout the game.
However, the visitors found a way back with their first shot on target. Yasin Ayari struck the post from distance. Diego Gomez reacted quickest to hammer in the rebound on 64 minutes.
Brighton grew in belief after pulling a goal back. Fabian Hurzeler’s half time changes injected pace and energy. Yankuba Minteh caused consistent problems down the flank.
The defining moment arrived with 15 minutes remaining. Minteh cut inside and curled a shot toward the top corner. David Raya produced a stunning fingertip save to push the ball over the bar.
The Emirates held its breath again late on. Gabriel Martinelli missed a clear chance from close range but Arsenal held firm to see out the result.
Arsenal finished with 24 shots and an expected goals figure of 3.08. Brighton had just three shots on target across the entire match with an xG of 0.85. The Gunners have now won six straight Premier League home games.
Only Wolves have conceded more own goals than Brighton this season. Arsenal have benefitted from four opposition own goals in recent weeks. The result also made it three consecutive league wins for Arteta’s side.
Defensive problems continued for Arsenal before kick-off. Riccardo Calafiori was ruled out in the warm up, forcing Arteta to shuffle his squad around. Jurrien Timber was already unavailable. Declan Rice filled in at right back and impressed. Myles Lewis Skelly was handed a late start. There was positive news as Gabriel returned from injury in the second half.
Arsenal face high-flying Aston Villa at the Emirates on Tuesday. The fixture closes out their calendar year against a side sitting third. City remain close behind in the title race. Arteta’s side open the new year with a trip to Bournemouth on January 3rd, and a home fixture against Liverpool on January 8th.
Brighton drop to 12th and are now winless in five league matches. They host West Ham United in midweek, before hosting Burnley at the weekend. Hurzeler will look for a response after a flat first half showing and a run of poor results that this threatening to derail their season.
