Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard (L) celebrates scoring in opposition to Manchester Metropolis. Photograph: AFP
LONDON:
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard’s first membership objective of the season helped his aspect beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 at dwelling on Saturday to return to the highest of the Premier League desk.
For the second week operating, Arsenal kicked off having been displaced by Manchester Metropolis earlier within the day and so they responded as soon as once more to the problem though what appeared on paper a routine win was fraught with late nerves.
Odegaard’s season has been disrupted by a knee damage however the Norwegian confirmed his trademark precision within the 14th minute to drive a left-footed shot low previous Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen to offer Arsenal a deserved lead.
Mikel Arteta’s aspect have been completely dominant and doubled their lead with a Georginio Rutter personal objective within the 52nd minute – the Frenchman getting a contact to a Declan Rice nook.
Brighton had provided subsequent to nothing as an attacking pressure till Diego Gomez slammed in a rebound within the sixty fourth minute after Yasin Ayari’s shot got here again off the submit.
The guests got here on sturdy late on and would have equalised had Arsenal keeper David Raya not produced a surprising save to maintain out Yankuba Minteh’s curling effort.
It was an anxious end however Arsenal held on to succeed in 42 factors from 18 video games with Metropolis, who beat Nottingham Forest earlier, on 40. Brighton, winless in 5, keep twelfth.
Ought to Arsenal go on to assert the title for the primary time since 2004, the slim wins they’ve change into so adept at grinding out will seemingly be an enormous issue.
Since dropping in stoppage time to Aston Villa, they’ve secured three successive wins – a last-gasp 2-1 victory over backside membership Wolverhampton Wanderers, final weekend’s 1-0 win at Everton to seize prime spot again from Metropolis and Saturday’s win over Brighton.
In actuality, they need to have spared themselves any jitters in opposition to Brighton as they spent most of Saturday in management.
“Very pleased with the efficiency, individually and collectively so dominant, we have been a giant risk, so very happy with all of that, however the margin ought to have been greater,” Arteta, who was usually frantic on the touchline, mentioned.
Odegaard’s objective, arrange by a cross from Bukayo Saka, was scant reward for Arsenal’s first-half show and they might have been comfy had Verbruggen not made saves from Martin Zubimendi, Rice and Viktor Gyokeres.
One fear for Arteta was the sight of his aspect dropping deeper and deeper after conceding and so they wanted Raya’s brilliance on his one hundred and fiftieth Arsenal look to in some way contact Minteh’s goal-bound shot over the crossbar.
One other was an damage for Riccardo Calafiori within the warm-up which meant Rice needed to play as a makeshift full again.
On the plus aspect, it was one other three factors and key defender Gabriel got here off the bench within the second half for his first look since early November after damage.
“Hopefully issues will get higher, the excellent news is we have got Gabi sooner than anticipated, which is nice,” Arteta mentioned of a difficult damage record that additionally contains Jurrien Timber, who was dominated out on Saturday.
