Arsenal responded perfectly to Manchester City’s early win in the Premier League by claiming a narrow 2-1 victory over Brighton at the Emirates. This was their sixth league win in a row at home and helped them return to the top of the table.
The Gunners opened the scoring within 15 minutes after Brighton’s goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen made a poor clearance. Declan Rice headed the ball to Bukayo Saka, who passed it back to Martin Ødegaard. Ødegaard calmly struck from the edge of the box to score his first goal of the season.
Arsenal kept control for most of the first half and nearly scored again, but Verbruggen made a smart save. The second goal came early in the second half when Brighton’s Georginio Rutter accidentally deflected a corner past his own goalkeeper.
Brighton pulled a goal back over 25 minutes from the end through Diego Gómez after a shot from Yasin Ayari hit the post. Brighton tried to push for an equaliser, but David Raya made a key save to keep Arsenal ahead.
Arsenal stayed unbeaten at home in the Premier League and moved back to the top of the table. Brighton remain 12th and have now gone five league games without a win.
