Arsenal survive Brighton scare to end year atop the Premier League pile
Having been top on Christmas Day for the first time in 15 years, the momentum was firmly behind Mikel Arteta’s men. The visitors showed no signs of slowing down, as they flew out of the traps and were ahead inside the opening 70 seconds, as Bukayo Saka quickly reacted to a rebound and stabbed in the opener to score the club’s quickest away PL goal since May 2013.
The Gunners’ lead would be doubled before the interval by virtue of Martin Ødegaard’s brilliance, as the captain fired his effort home from just inside the area after Brighton failed to adequately clear their lines. A third successive Brighton win over the Gunners across all competitions looked ever-more unlikely by the minute, as Arsenal entered the second half in the ascendancy. Immediately after the restart, Eddie Nketiah found himself on the end of a rebound following some brilliant team play on the left wing, and the forward capitalised to steer home, with Arsenal striking within the first two minutes of a half for the second time on the night.
For all their struggles in the contest, Roberto de Zerbi’s men never lacked belief or fight, which was evident as Kaoru Mitoma struck what appeared to be a consolation shortly after the hour mark. Arsenal were in no mood for a comeback though, and restored their three-goal lead moments later through Gabriel Martinelli, as the Brazilian sprinted in behind before firing a low effort through Robert Sánchez.
The Seagulls simply would not be grounded though and kept battling back. Evan Ferguson reduced the deficit again, scoring his first PL goal, with the 18-year-old forcing William Saliba into an error before slotting past Aaron Ramsdale. There was further scare in store for Arsenal when Mitoma netted once more in the closing stages, but a VAR review showed the Japan international was offside. That would prove to be Brighton's final act of defiance, as the Gunners ended 2022 with a fifth successive league victory.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal)
