By RIATH AL-SAMARRAI, CHIEF SPORTS FEATURE WRITER
Published: 12:33 EST, 27 December 2025 | Updated: 12:37 EST, 27 December 2025
If Arsenal are to finally hold their nerve in a title race, then Mikel Arteta ought to spend the entirety of next summer writing notes of thanks to those who helped them through these weeks of goodwill. Own goals have been the gifts that keep on giving.
As with the home fixtures against Wolves and Crystal Palace in the past fortnight, this was a match assisted by the generosity of Arsenal’s guests.
To the names of Sam Johnstone, Yerson Mosquera and Maxence Lacroix, we can add Georginio Rutter for a contribution that proved more consequential than anyone imagined when he glanced a Declan Rice corner off his forehead and into Brighton’s own net for 2-0.
At that point, Arsenal were strolling. They were comfortable, expressive, toying with their food, and leading the shot tally by 19-0 - Martin Odegaard had scored and was conducting the orchestra beautifully, Bukayo Saka was drawing lunges and skipping clear, and Rice had successfully repurposed himself as a right back. It was all going so well.
But then came the blip. The micro wobble. The reasons why, even when they are winning, we wonder if it might come crashing down, as it has done in two other seasons of the Arteta reign in which they have stood as the Christmas No 1.
As with those games against Wolves and Palace, respectively in the league and Carabao Cup quarter-finals, this became far harder than it needed to be. From a performance that had been woefully flat, Brighton sprung to life and were allowed to pull a goal back through Diego Gomez. Had David Rayo not launched himself into an immense save off his fingertips, Yankuba Minteh would have quickly made it 2-2. He didn’t and so it is entirely academic, but within Arsenal’s three points came a different kind of point.
Martin Odegaard scored his first league goal of the season in Arsenal's 2-1 win over Brighton
Georginio Rutter's own goal doubled Arsenal's lead before Brighton fought back late on
If we are to be positive about it, which we should because Arsenal have earned some benefit of the doubt, it is that they keep finding a way, be it through set-pieces or grinding or the creation of chances that lead to own goals. Of the latter, they have received four in the past four games and with them a place atop the Premier League and a cup semi-final.
But we might also wonder about the frailties that seem to be surfacing when they are leading games. With Manchester City breathing dragon fire on their necks, they are perhaps overdue one of those message-sending performances that eliminates the external noise and reimposes a little aura, because for now opposition sense there will always be a way back in. At their best, City offer no such reassurance, so it might just be the one area in which Arsenal are lacking.
In the nuts and bolts of this match, Arteta will have been thrilled with the first hour, especially as it followed a pair of setbacks prior to kick-off. First, Jurrien Timber suffered a muscular issue, necessitating the use of Rice at right-back, and then the defence was hit by a second issue when Riccardo Calafiori was injured in the warm-up.
His misfortune was Myles Lewis-Skelly’s gain because he was upgraded to a starting spot for the first time in the league this season. Good for him, but with it came a question: would Brighton finds areas to exploit within an altered backline?
Fabian Hurzeler’s answer was to pivot his system to carry three centre halves, while relying heavily on his wing backs, Maxim De Cuyper and Ferdi Kadioglu, for width. That proved a big ask and a tough shift – they had rarely had the luxury of joining an attack anywhere near the Arsenal half.
When De Cuyper was set loose on Rice, 40 minutes in and at 1-0 down, he was crunched into the ground by a meaty challenge and then took an earful before he could get to his feet. Evidently Rice has the tools for most job.
By then, Arsenal were already cruising. Viktor Gyokeres had muscled his way to a one-on-one inside two minutes only to scuff his shot and a moment later Bukayo Saka was blocked by Bart Verbruggen after skipping around De Cuyper.
They were finding it easy, so there was no surprise when the goal came, even if it was partially gifted by Verbruggen. The replays lent some blame to Brajan Gruda, who was dispossessed in a dangerous area by Piero Hincappie, but that was only possible because the goalkeeper sent a daft, low ball up the middle of the pitch.
Odegaard gave Arsenal the perfect start when he swept home in the first half at the Emirates
Diego Gomez halved the deficit to set up a tense finale but the Gunners held their nerve
Victory saw Mikel Arteta's side regain top spot after they were briefly overtaken by Man City
From that initial error, a combination of Rice and Saka worked possession to Odegaard on the edge of the box. With one touch to control and another to steer, he beat Verbruggen low to his left. An unfussy strike that was loaded with quality.
Verbruggen’s difficulties were later compounded by a yellow card for hacking down Gyokeres outside his area after Lewis-Skelly opened a lane to goal with a lovely clip over the top. A dismissal seemed imminent, but John Brooks applied greater weight to Jan Paul van Hecke’s marginal presence as last man.
MATCH FACTS AND RATINGS
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya 7; Rice 7, Saliba 6.5, Hincapie 7, Lewis-Skelly 7 (Magalhaes 71, 6); Odegaard 7.5, Zubimendi 7, Merino 7; Saka 7.5, Gyokeres 6 (Jesus 71, 6), Trossard 6.5 (Martinelli 82).
Subs not used: Arrizabalaga, Eze, Norgaard, Madueke, Nwaneri, Salmon
Booked: Lewis-Skelly
Manager: Mikel Arteta 7
Brighton (3-4-2-1): Verbruggen 5.5; Coppola 6 (Watson 87), Van Hecke 6.5, Dunk 7; Kadioglu 6, Ayari 6.5, Hinshelwood 6 (Welbeck 74, 6), De Cuyper 5 (Wieffer 46, 6); Gruda 5 (Minteh 46, 6.5), Gomez 7 (Kostoulas 87); Rutter 6.
Subs not used: Steele, Milner, Boscagli, Veltman
Booked: Verbruggen, Dunk, Coppola
Manager: Fabian Hurzeler 6
Referee: John Brooks 6
Hurzeler attempted to change the narrative by making two changes during the interval, but it did nothing for the balance of the game. Instead, with 52 minutes played, Arsenal went two clear when Rutter, stationed at the near post, flicked Rice’s corner over Verbruggen and into the net. Such assistance has been a theme of this title charge and it ought to have killed the contest.
But it didn’t. With Brighton’s first meaningful attack of the game, Yasin Ayari recycled the mess of a Yakubah Minteh mishit and drilled against Raya’s post, before Gomez lashed in the rebound. Hurzeler’s side were suddenly alive again.
Arteta’s responded with two changes but nothing that hooked away the nerves – a David Raya save from Minteh was as exceptional as it was essential and a let-off followed when Mats Wieffer ballooned a free header over the bar. More pressure came with it, and so too a bunch of Arsenal chances, but they could not restore the comfort of a two-goal lead.
That they won is a virtue in its own right. So are own goals. But Arteta will hope he find a way to make it all a little easier.