Premier League: Brighton vs. Arsenal 2-4

Arsenal seven points clear at top of Premier League heading into 2023

Goals from Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli saw Arsenal beat Brighton on the south coast and sit seven points behind Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

The Gunners secured a top win for the fifth straight season to cement their status as serious title contenders.

Kaoru Mitoma reduced Albion’s deficit with 25 minutes to go before Martinelli, supported by a wonderful Odegaard assist, pushed through midfield to restore the three-goal lead in style.

Seagull’s substitute Evan Ferguson heightened the tension before the closing stages by scoring his first Premier League goal, while Mitoma thought he had set up a goal from the stands only for his goal to be ruled offside in the 89th minute.

Despite fears of late drama, the in-form visitors held on to celebrate an impressive win and take a healthy lead into 2023.

Mikel Arteta’s men started the evening at the Amex spurred on by their closest rivals Manchester City and Newcastle, who both drew at home earlier in the day.

And the North London visitors wasted no time in capitalizing on the points they lost as Saka took the lead with 66 seconds left.

Thomas Partey stopped Tariq Lamptey’s launch of a counter-attack with an excellent tackle and after Martinelli’s early attempt was partially blocked by Lewis dunk, the ball broke beautifully to Levi Colwill for unmarked England striker Saka for a touch-and-go.

Brighton, who paid tribute to their own World Cup stars in their matchday programme, including absent tournament winner Alexis Mac Allister, were stunned by the quick start.

Without the talents of Mac Allister and the suspended Moisés Caicedo in midfield, they could easily have fallen further behind as Gunners left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko, Tormentor boss Martinelli and midfielder Partey would all be threatened.

Leandro Trossard made the best first-half starts for the Seagulls, who later faced a costly nine-minute period on either side of the break.

Arsenal captain Odegaard ensured his side went into the break with a cushion after sending home a powerful shot in the 39th minute after Brighton failed to clear a Saka corner.

And the deficit quickly widened when Nketiah, again impressive as a substitute for the injured Gabriel Jesus, struck from close range in the 47th minute to join Saka in the second game in a row after Brighton’s Robert Sánchez missed had. contain Martinelli’s low kick. .

Arsenal’s third goal initially dampened the excitement in the stands, but Brighton were hoping for a comeback in the 65th minute when Japan winger Mitoma found space to calmly pass Aaron Ramsdale.

The scrappy nature of the throbbing competition continued and when Albion went on a second, aided by a boisterous crowd, the Gunners broke devastatingly.

Odegaard freed Martinelli with a magnificent first-half pass and the Brazilian did the rest, beating Lamptey from midfield before landing behind Sánchez.

Arteta celebrated the goal from the track enthusiastically, but still had to endure a lot of drama.

Poor defense from William Saliba allowed 18-year-old forward Ferguson to slip through and score a historic goal at Ramsdale’s feet.

The Gunners then seemed really in danger of losing two points when Mitoma deflected his second period of play to the bottom right corner.

But the jubilation was quickly dampened by VAR intervention before the visitors endured six minutes of added time to cement their lead.

Lineups:

Brighton (4-2-3-1): 

Sanchez, Dunk, Colwill, Estupinan, Gilmour, Gross, Lamptey, Lallana, Mitoma, Trossard, March

Substitutes: Steele, Sarmiento, Enciso, Ferguson, Van Hecke, Moran, Hinshelwood, Veltman, Turns

Arsenal (4-3-3): 

Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Nketiah

Substitutes: Turner, Holding, Cedric, Vieira, Lokonga, Elneny, Marquinhos, Tierney, Tomiyasu

Scorers:

Bookings:

Man of the Match : Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal)

Match Stats: