Defeating Brighton, Arsenal waits for Man Utd to beat Liverpool

Arsenal have often struggled against Brighton. In their last four encounters in previous seasons, they lost three and won just one. However, in the match at the Emirates Stadium on the evening of December 17, the Gunners defeated Brighton with a convincing performance.

The home team's determination was evident right from the opening whistle. Arsenal pushed up their formation, pressing their opponents deep into the penalty area. Brighton are usually good at developing the ball and escaping pressure, but this time they did not have much of the ball to execute their attacking ideas.

The first notable chance came in the 15th minute. Martin Odegaard dribbled confidently before shooting wide. In the 39th minute, Gabriel Martinelli broke through strongly on the left wing but his shot was not able to beat goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

Gabriel Jesus shines as Arsenal beat Brighton at home. (Photo: Getty)

Arsenal dominated, but Brighton's defense deserved praise. They focused on neutralizing the home team's high-speed combinations. If Mikel Arteta's strikers had a chance to shoot, the shooting angle was significantly narrowed. The first half ended in a 0-0 draw.

In the second half, Arsenal continued to press and surround Brighton. Their efforts were rewarded in the 53rd minute. After a corner kick from the home player, Van Hecke headed the ball, making the effort of goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen unsuccessful. The ball fell right to Gabriel Jesus, who easily headed it into the empty net.

The goal helped Arsenal play more excitedly. They did not allow their opponents much time on the ball, while launching very quick attacks towards Brighton's penalty area. However, they failed to take advantage of the opportunities created.

In the 83rd minute, Brighton almost equalized. Kaoru Mitoma broke through on the left wing, flicked the outside of his foot for Pascal Gross to finish close range. However, the German player's shot went wide of the post.

Five minutes later, Nketiah made a good pass for Kai Havertz to seal a 2-0 win for Arsenal. If Liverpool fail to beat Man Utd, Mikel Arteta's side will regain the top spot with 39 points.

Result: Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Score

Arsenal: Gabriel Jesus (53'), Kai Havertz (88')

Round 17

XH	Team	Battle	BT-BB	Point
1	Arsenal	17	35-15	39
2	Liverpool	17	36-15	38
3	Aston Villa	17	37-21	38
4	Man City	17	40-20	34
5	Tottenham	17	35-23	33
6	Newcastle	17	36-21	29
7	West Ham	17	29-30	27
8	Man Utd	16	18-21	27
9	Brighton	17	33-30	26
10	Chelsea	17	28-26	21
11	Fulham	17	26-29	21
12	Brentford	17	24-24	19
13	Wolverhampton	17	21-29	19
14	Bournemouth	16	21-30	19
15	Crystal Palace	17	17-25	17
16	Everton	17	22-20	16
17	Nottingham Forest	17	17-30	14
18	Luton Town	16	17-32	9
19	Burnley	17	16-36	8
20	Sheffield United	17	12-43	8