Arsenal scraped a 1-0 victory at Brighton as Bukayo Saka’s early strike proved enough to move the Gunners seven points clear at the top of the Premier League after Manchester City drew with Nottingham Forest.
Saka’s ninth-minute shot, which took a slight deflection off Carlos Baleba before squirming past Bart Verbruggen, proved decisive in a scrappy, stop-start contest on the south coast. Arsenal managed only two shots on target and seven efforts in total, but they defended well and held on.
Brighton controlled 60% of possession and had long periods of the better play, yet they failed to convert that dominance into clear chances. An early scare for the visitors came inside two minutes when Gabriel cleared a Baleba chip off the line after a misplaced pass from David Raya. Georginio Rutter also forced a good save from Raya later on, but Brighton’s 11 shots yielded just 0.8 expected goals, according to Opta.
The match became increasingly fractured, with Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler criticising Arsenal for time-wasting surrounding goalkeeper David Raya, who received treatment on three occasions. Hurzeler said: “I love the effort from my boys… I think there was only one team who tried to play football today,” adding that he had raised the issue before the game and felt the Premier League needed to address it.
Mikel Arteta gave a terse response: “What a surprise.” He went on to praise his squad: “I love my players. That’s the highlight. I love the way we compete.” When asked whether he cared about other managers’ comments he replied: “Care? Yeah. Depends.”
Arsenal threatened late on when substitute Kai Havertz saw a diagonal effort tipped away by Verbruggen, and the visitors endured a nervy finish before the final whistle. The confirmation of Manchester City’s draw sparked jubilant celebrations among the travelling Arsenal supporters, who sang about the title as the side opened a seven-point lead — albeit having played a game more than City.
Player ratings
Brighton: Verbruggen (6), Wieffer (7), Boscagli (6), Van Hecke (7), Kadioglu (7), Baleba (6), Gross (6), Hinshelwood (6), Gomez (6), Rutter (6), Mitoma (6)
Subs: Minteh (7), Welbeck (6), Howell (6), Veltman (6), Ayari (6)
Arsenal: Raya (8), Timber (8), Mosquera (7), Gabriel (9), Hincapie (8), Zubimendi (6), Rice (7), Eze (6), Saka (6), Gyokeres (5), Martinelli (6)
Subs: Havertz (6), Trossard (6), Calafiori (6), Norgaard (6)
Player of the Match: Gabriel Magalhaes
Analysis
Having taken the lead, Arsenal were content to disrupt Brighton’s rhythm and protect a slender advantage. The intermittent nature of the game played into the visitors’ hands, allowing a disciplined backline — marshalled by Gabriel and Piero Hincapie in the absence of William Saliba — to withstand sustained Brighton possession. Brighton’s inability to turn possession into quality chances was telling: 11 shots but only 0.8 xG.
Opta highlights
– Arsenal’s 10th Premier League victory by a one-goal margin this season, their most after 30 games since 2011/12 (10).
– Only in 2003/04 have they had more one-goal wins at this stage (12).
– Arsenal had just seven shots against Brighton; only one game this season saw fewer (five vs Chelsea, League Cup).
– The Gunners’ xG tonight was 0.43, their lowest in a match across all competitions in 2025/26.
– Arsenal completed 70.9% of their passes, their lowest Premier League completion rate since August 2021 vs Manchester City (67.6%).
What it means
A gritty, sometimes unpopular victory that underlined Arsenal’s ability to grind out results even when they are not fluent. Brighton will be left frustrated by a lack of finishing quality despite controlling the ball, while Arsenal leave the south coast with three points and a healthier cushion at the top as the title race enters its final stages.