Arsenal leaves Amex Stadium with all 3 points after a minimal victory over Brighton. This is not a convincing match for Mikel Arteta's team, but in the decisive stage of the season, the most important thing is still the result.
Brighton was even the team that almost opened the score. In the first minutes of the match, goalkeeper David Raya made a careless pass that made him leave the goal nearly 18m away. Carlos Baleba quickly launched a technical lob shot that sent the ball over Raya's head and into the net, but Gabriel Magalhaes quickly retreated to head the ball right on the goal line.
That save quickly became the turning point of the match. In the 9th minute, Bukayo Saka received the ball on the right wing and then curled into the center before launching a shot from the edge of the penalty area. The shot was not too strong but goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen handled it clumsily, letting the ball pass past his hands and both feet before rolling into the net.
The early goal helped Arsenal be more proactive in approaching the match. The away team did not need to push too high, instead maintaining a tight formation and waiting for counter-attack opportunities. Meanwhile, Brighton controlled the ball quite a lot but lacked sharpness in the baseline area.
At the end of the first half, the home team said they deserved a penalty when Gabriel Martinelli collided with Mats Wieffer in the penalty area. However, referee Chris Kavanagh did not blow the whistle, causing Fabian Hurzeler to be dissatisfied before the two teams entered halftime.
After the break, Brighton accelerated clearly. In the 52nd minute, Georginio Rutter launched a powerful shot from outside the penalty area forcing Raya to push the ball out. That was one of the few situations where the home team really caused difficulties for Arsenal's defense.
After that, Brighton continued to have a noteworthy opportunity. From a cross from substitute player Yankuba Minteh, Wieffer rushed in to head in a fairly comfortable position but the ball went straight into Raya's position.
Arsenal also had a chance to finish the match in the 75th minute when Leandro Trossard escaped in the penalty area. However, his shot went wide of the goal.
That is also a fairly clear reflection of Arsenal's match. They were not too sharp, nor did they create many clear opportunities, but still controlled the game well and successfully defended the fragile advantage.
More importantly, this victory came at the right time when Manchester City was unexpectedly held to a 2-2 draw by Nottingham Forest. The gap at the top of the table was therefore widened to 7 points.
