Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi has heaped praise on Arsenal.
Arsenal were utterly dominant in their 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners took control of this match from the first whistle. The south coast club did not even manage a shot in the first half. Arsenal became the first club to blunt Brighton’s attack to such an extent in 49 matches.
At the other end of the pitch, the north London club carried plenty of threat of their own, registering 15 efforts of their own in the opening period. Aside from some wayward finishing, it was a near-perfect performance from the hosts.
Mikel Arteta’s side maintained their positive approach after the break, and found some end product, too. Gabriel Jesus was able to nod in at the far post from a corner, putting the Gunners ahead. Kai Havertz then maintained his impressive recent goalscoring run and secured the three points with a composed finish late on.
As per WhoScored statistics, over the course of the match, Arsenal had 26 shots with 9 on target to Brighton’s 6 efforts with 1 on target, completed 11 dribbles compared to Brighton’s 4, and won 10 corners to Brighton’s 1.
Mikel Arteta and Roberto De Zerbi have say on Arsenal display
After the match, Arteta was delighted by his team’s efforts. As quoted by the club’s official website, the Spanish coach said, “outstanding, incredible. Big compliment to the team and to the players. I think we had an incredible performance against a top team. I think we fully deserved to win the game. I have to praise them because I know how difficult it is and what Brighton do to teams. We didn’t allow that to happen, so I’m super happy.”
His opposite number, Roberto De Zerbi, also conceded the Gunners’ superiority on the day. As quoted by The Mirror, the Italian stated, “Arsenal played much better than us. They deserved to win the game. We suffered a lot. I think Arsenal are one of the best, maybe this season the best team in the Premier League. We are not used to suffering in this way. We are used to controlling the game.”
Brighton are a good side who are rarely kept at arms’ length in such a decisive manner. As much as Arsenal’s attackers will be given deserved credit for their sensational play against the Seagulls, the Gunners’ defensive contingent deserves plaudits for their efforts too. The likes of William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Declan Rice gave Arsenal a solid platform to build this aggressive performance on.
Successful, title-winning sides are built on solid defensive foundations. Arteta now looks to have those in place, as the Gunners currently have the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League. Arsenal have conceded just 15 times in 17 matches so far.
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