Arsenal welcomed Brighton and Hove Albion to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Up against a spirited and well-organised Brighton side, Arsenal were able to seal a 2-0 victory.
The Gunners made plenty of chances in the first half, but their efforts on goal were tame and all too often straight at the goalkeeper. Mikel Arteta will have been frustrated with his side’s profligacy in the opening period and will have demanded more after the break.
The Spanish coach did not have to wait too long into the second half before his side made the breakthrough. Gabriel Jesus was able to meet a corner at the far post in the 53rd minute and head into the back of the net.
Still, the north London club continued to squander chances, and the Seagulls began to pose a greater attacking threat of their own. It came as a huge relief to all the Arsenal faithful in the ground when Kai Havertz continued his good goalscoring form and wrapped up the result with a smart finish in the 87th minute.
Arsenal player ratings v Brighton
David Raya – 7/10
David Raya was not called upon to make any spectacular saves but looked very settled between the sticks, which will come as a relief after some nervy recent performances. He also impressed with his distribution.
Ben White – 6/10
A solid performance defensively, but Ben White did not offer enough support to Bukayo Saka going forward. Perhaps fearing the pace of Kaoru Mitoma, he looked reluctant to get on the overlap.
William Saliba – 7/10
Reliable as ever.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 7/10
Also very solid.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 5.5/10
Oleksandr Zinchenko’s lapses in concentration when on the ball in his own half are a real concern. For all of his undoubtedly quality, the £32 million former Manchester City man all too often frustrates by playing Arsenal into danger.
Declan Rice – 8/10
Declan Rice became more dominant as the game went on and would have scored after a brilliant driving run were it not for Bart Verbruggen.
Martin Odegaard – 7.5/10
If he had had his shooting boots on this would have been a near perfect performance from the club captain. Martin Odegaard played some beautiful passes and dazzled with his quick feet. Not for the first time in recent weeks, though, he was guilty of spurning good chances to score.
Kai Havertz – 8/10
Another game and another goal for Havertz who has truly announced himself at Arsenal now.
Bukayo Saka – 7.5/10
A constant menace to the Brighton defence.
Gabriel Martinelli – 7/10
There was so much to enjoy about Gabriel Martinelli’s performance, but not enough end product. He got into a lot of good positions and worked extremely hard, but the final ball or finish was lacking today.
Gabriel Jesus – 8/10
Jesus ran the show at times and deserved his goal. He needs to stay fit and keep this kind of form up.
Substitutes
Eddie Nketiah – 7/10
Leandro Trossard – 6/10
Emile Smith Rowe – 6/10
Reiss Nelson – 6/10
Jakub Kiwior – 6/10
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