Arsenal narrowly beat Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex on Wednesday night, bolstering their Premier League title hopes.
Bukayo Saka gave the Gunners the lead inside the opening ten minutes, with his shot from the edge of the box deflecting off Carlos Baleba and squirming under Bart Verbruggen. This was Arsenal’s first and only effort of what was a dire first half for Mikel Arteta’s side on the south coast.
It took the North Londoners a while, but they finally settled into the game mid-way through the second half. They started to put together a few more lengthy passing moves and managed to quell Brighton’s momentum.
It wasn’t a vintage display from Arteta’s men, but they managed to find a way to win on a night where Manchester City slipped up at home to Nottingham Forest.
Match Highlights
Arsenal Player Ratings vs Brighton
David Raya – 6/10
He had very little to do in terms of shot-stopping on the night, although he was authoritative and commanding when coming for crosses. Arteta may have been somewhat frustrated with his tendency to go long too frequently.
Jurrien Timber – 6/10
As solid as ever defensively, dealing with Kaoru Mitoma effortlessly, although he offered very little going forward.
Cristhian Mosquera – 3/10
William Saliba’s replacement really struggled on the night. Not only was he booked, but he was also somewhat lucky to escape a second yellow as Brighton persistently played quick passes around him.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 8/10
In Saliba’s absence, Gabriel Magalhaes stepped up. The Brazilian was imperious throughout, winning everything and putting out fires consistently in Arsenal’s box.
Piero Hincapie – 7/10
Similarly to Jurrien Timber, Piero Hincapie offered little going forward, but was astute without the ball. He stepped up when moved to centre-back in the second half.
Martin Zubimendi – 3/10
Martin Zubimendi is in something of a rut, and this was another game that passed him by. He failed to get on the ball and help Arsenal control the game, and this cost the Gunners.
Declan Rice – 5/10
Like his midfield partner, Declan Rice was very poor in possession. However, he somewhat made up for this with some good defensive work.
Eberechi Eze – 5/10
Aside from a handful of nice touches to set Arsenal up for quick moves in transition, Eberechi Eze was very quiet and struggled in this off-ball game.
Bukayo Saka – 6/10
Did well to create the angle to get his goal, but suffered in a non-existent Arsenal attack.
Viktor Gyokeres – 3/10
The ball just wouldn’t stick for Viktor Gyokeres. Every time the Gunners tried to use him as an outlet to relieve pressure, he lost it.
Gabriel Martinelli – 4/10
A completely anonymous display from Gabriel Martinelli before he was hooked minutes prior to the hour mark.
Subs
Kai Havertz – 6/10
Brought on to provide Arsenal with the focal point that Gyokeres couldn’t, and did this relatively successfully.
Leandro Trossard – 6/10
Made a difference by getting on the ball, although he missed a good chance to increase Arsenal’s lead inside the box late on.
Riccardo Calafiori – 6/10
Stabilised Arsenal at the back, although this was as much to do with Mosquera’s exit from the game as it was anything he did.
Christian Norgaard – N/A
Not on long enough to rate.
Man of the Match – Gabriel Magalhaes
This wasn’t a good day for Arsenal in terms of their ability to control the match and be a threat offensively. That said, one man did step up in these difficult circumstances.
Gabriel was immense throughout, dominating in his individual battles and consistently sweeping up inside the Gunners’ box when Brighton were able to break through. A handful of stunning blocks stood out, while he was also aggressive in the air when the Seagulls opted to launch the ball into the box.
He’ll be somewhat disappointed with his passing, but overall, he did his job defensively and in a very impressive manner.
