By Arsenal shrugged off a mounting defensive injury crisis to reclaim top spot in the Premier League with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Brighton on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s side were already depleted at the back before Riccardo Calafiori was ruled out after suffering an injury during the pre-match warm-up at the Emirates Stadium.
Despite the absences, the Gunners made a strong start and took the lead in the 14th minute when Bukayo Saka capitalised on a poor goal-kick from Bart Verbruggen and set up Martin Ødegaard, who fired a low finish from the edge of the box. It was the Arsenal captain’s first goal of the season, ending a drought stretching back to May.
Arsenal continued to dominate and doubled their advantage shortly after the break when Georginio Rutter inadvertently headed Declan Rice’s corner into his own net, extending the hosts’ impressive set-piece scoring record.
Brighton, who failed to register a single shot in the first half, pulled one back in the 64th minute after Yasin Ayari struck the post and Diego Gomez reacted quickest to convert the rebound.
With tensions rising late on, Arteta introduced Gabriel Magalhães for his first appearance since returning from a thigh injury. Brighton threatened an equaliser when Yankuba Minteh unleashed a fierce long-range effort, but goalkeeper David Raya produced a superb save to preserve the lead.
The win marked Arsenal’s third consecutive league victory and lifted them two points clear of Manchester City, who had briefly gone top earlier in the day following a 2–1 win over Nottingham Forest.
Arsenal will next host title rivals Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on December 30.
