Arsenal 2-1 Brighton
Another close game, another win, and another three points to keep us marginally at the top. After the narrow scorelines at Everton in the league and the penalty shootout win over Palace in the cup, it was Brighton at home, a notoriously awkward opponent for us in recent years.
We started on the front foot, though once again with an injury setback, this time in the warm-up. Calafiori felt something from Friday’s training session, forcing a reshuffle. Rice moved to right-back on the day and once again showed what a complete footballer he is, the engine he has, the anticipation, the ability to break up play, start attacks, track back, and even arrive in the box a few times.
Back to the opening minute; almost instantly we carved out a huge chance. Trossard floated a ball over the top, Dunk misjudged the flight, and Gyökeres burst in behind. The shot was tame in the end, rolling into the keeper’s hands. From my angle, a little dink looked the obvious finish, but he delayed it half a second too long.
We kept dominating, especially down Saka’s side. One of his efforts flashed over the bar, and from the resulting goal kick came the opener. The ball was played straight down the middle, Hincapié stepped in aggressively; I worried the ref might blow for a foul but play continued. Rice nodded the loose ball to Saka, Brighton doubled up on him, and Odegaard, who was brilliant all afternoon, read the situation perfectly. He drifted into space on the edge of the box, received the ball, and produced a trademark low finish to the near post. 1–0 Arsenal. Finally, after a few games of early dominance without reward, we had the lead to match the performance.
Like the Palace game, we kept the pressure on, racking up 15 shots by half-time. The closest we came to a second was a chaotic goalmouth scramble; Trossard clipping over, Saka acrobatically keeping it alive, Gyökeres flicking goalwards only for a Brighton head to block, Merino firing the rebound back in, Zubimendi improvising with a back-heel, and the keeper saving well.
From the first-half showing, it felt like an early second goal would make it a drama free afternoon but this is The Arsenal, and that’s not really our thing at the moment. Still, the second did arrive early in the half. A slick move ended with an Odegaard shot blocked for a corner. Our old friend, the own goal, made another appearance, the delivery to the front post flicked off a Brighton head and looped into the net.
Brighton made changes at the break and, with the score doubled, played with a nothing-to-lose attitude. Their right-hand side suddenly had far more energy, especially with Minteh coming on; a real livewire. Without the usual Zubimendi–Rice axis in midfield at times, gaps began to appear. Even Odegaard was dragged deep on one occasion, almost as the last man.
Brighton finally tested us, Raya making their first save of the match from a low strike after a neat one-two on the edge of the box. It was a warning of what was coming. Some sharp play around the box, a ball fired across the goal onto the post, and the rebound was smashed in at the Clock End. The noise around the ground said it all, here we go again.
The pressure rose, and you could feel the tension across the Emirates. For about ten minutes we completely lost control. Gabriel came on; a very welcome sight alongside Saliba heading into the new year but even then we looked panicked, clearing long, conceding throw-ins, and generally inviting pressure. It felt a lot like the closing stages of the Wolves game.
Then came a genuinely world-class save from David Raya. Even more impressive given how little he’d had to do all game. Brighton again worked it well down their right, quick one-touch passing, Minteh curling one towards the far top corner — very Salah-esque, and reminiscent of the Ramsdale save at Anfield in 2023. For all the world it looked like 2–2. Raya somehow stretched, tipped it over, and onto the roof of the net. A huge moment. Brighton headed over from the resulting corner, and that was effectively their last threat.
From that point, we regained control. Brighton didn’t register another shot after the 75th minute. Odegaard, in his best performance of the season so far, dictated everything late on again, slowing the game down, drifting away from pressure with quick feet, and linking beautifully with Saka and Rice. That triangle felt very similar to the dynamic we get with White on that side.
It should have been more comfortable. Martinelli missed one that looked harder to miss, Rice powering down the right and firing across goal, Gabi needing only the slightest touch but instead blasting it high and over. We saw the game out with some dark arts in the corner, not pretty, but when you’re winning, I really don’t care.
And so, another win, another injury, but we move on. Gabriel back, Havertz close, attacking options returning. Now onto Villa on Tuesday, a tough test and a chance for a bit of revenge after the defeat three weeks ago. How the supercomputer puts these fixtures together is beyond me, but hey-ho. I do expect some rotation; Eze unused, maybe Noni or Martinelli starting, and I do wonder if Jesus gets his first league start in well over a year. Villa will likely defend deep and break with pace and power, so it may take patience and intricate play early on. If it becomes stretched, it could be a game tailor-made for Gyökeres off the bench to try and make an impact.
Overall, a strong performance, but as we hit the midway point of the season, we need to start turning dominance into more goals so these games aren’t constantly on a knife edge. We’ll see where we are after Villa on Tuesday; I’ll share some thoughts later in the week.
Until then, have a good one. UTA.
The View From Block 107 