Brighton vs Arsenal ends with The Gunners returning to the top of the Premier League table
Brighton vs Arsenal: An Overview
Arsenal came to Falmer with a mission of returning to the top of the table to keep the title race alive, which they successfully did. Bukayo Saka opened the lead for The Gunners in the 33rd minute from the spot to bag his 14 goals this season.
Kai Havertz doubled the lead in the second half after receiving a perfectly delivered pass by Jorginho. Arsenal sealed the victory when Leandro Trossard joined the goalscoring party after 22 minutes coming on to replace Gabriel Jesus.
This victory brought Arsenal to keep a clean sheet against Brighton from two meetings this season. For The Seagulls, it is the first time for them in two seasons to lose against the same opponent without scoring home and away, after losing against Aston Villa in 2021/22.
Top Goal Scorer: Match Analysis
Bukayo Saka inspired Arsenal by scoring the opening goal in this game, making him directly involved in 30 goals in all competitions for the first time in his career. After the Brighton game, he has scored 17 goals and 13 assists in 38 games.
On the other hand, Kai Havertz bagged his ninth league goal for Arsenal this season. This is more than what he did with Chelsea in a single full season. No player in the Premier League had more direct goal contributions than him (8) in the past two months.
Leandro Trossard had a special method in saying hi back to the Brighton fans at his former ground. Coming on to replace Gabriel Jesus in the second half, he scored Arsenal’s third goal and sealed the win for the guest team.
Also Read: Brighton vs Arsenal Player Ratings
Brighton vs Arsenal Top Performers
Leandro Trossard – 7.5/ 10
Trossard proved himself to be more than just a benchwarmer against his former team. Even when Arsenal were in a two-goal lead over Brighton in the second half, he wanted more and put the ice on the cake with his goal. That was his eighth in the league for Arsenal this season.
Bukayo Saka – 7.8/ 10
The England forward is fighting for a spot in the national team for the upcoming Euro 2024 event. His goal against Brighton would keep him relevant in the striker picks for Gareth Southgate who is finalising his squad before June.
Kai Havertz – 8.6/ 10
The German started to gain his touch back after scoring his ninth goal for Arsenal this season. Not only a goal, Havertz provided an assist for Trossard, making him the most-rated player in this game. He also delivered four key passes for his teammates, bringing the game under control.
Brighton vs Arsenal: Match Point
A 3-0 victory over Brighton might be crucial for Arsenal’s fate at the end of the season. Despite securing back the tabletop, Mikel Arteta’s squad are not safe yet as Liverpool still have one game to play.
Seeing Manchester City slip at the deciding moment would be unlikely to become a reality but the chance never zero. Liverpool on the other hand, also started to find their foundation with Alexis MacAllister leading the midfield.
Also Read: Kevin De Bruyne reaches 100 goals for Man City with a stunner
With this result, at least Arsenal can just focus on their own performance instead of relying their fate on other teams’ results. The Gunners will host Bayern Munich in the Champions League the next midweek, before getting back to the league to host Aston Villa.