David Raya of Arsenal looks on after making a save from Yankuba Minteh of Brightonplaceholder image
David Raya of Arsenal looks on after making a save from Yankuba Minteh of Brighton | Getty Images
All the reaction from the Brighton’s 2-1 loss with Arsenal from the Emirates Stadium
As poor as Brighton were in the first half at the Emirates, Arsenal were grateful for a wonder save from David Raya as they moved back to the top of the table.
Martin Odegaard opened the scoring for the Gunners in the first half and an own goal from Georginio Rutter extended their lead.
Brighton though improved after the break and pulled one back through midfielder Diego Gomez. The Albion almost gained a point as substitute Yankuba Minteh drew a remarkable save from Raya.
Many of the Arsenal players gathered towards Raya as they realised how crucial the save was in securing victory.
"I think that was the only big chance they had apart form the goal," said Odegaard. "It was a great save."
The Norwegian delivered a classy performance in the midfield and netted his first goal of the season when he was allowed time and space on the edge of the Albion box.
"I've been waiting for that one,” said the Arsenal man. “I've been working on my finishing a lot in training so I'm happy.
"The last few games have been [close], but you have to be able to win in different ways. We need to keep going, keep building and keep getting the wins."
Brighton pushed Arsenal all the way
The win was vital for the Gunners after Manchester City’s 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest but Odegaard admitted that Brighton pushed them hard towards the end.
"It was a tough one in the end,” he said. “But I think we played a good game. We were dominant from the start, they got a bit of momentum towards the end but we got an important three points.
"I think we played really good, controlled the game but we could have done better and not let them score like they did. They got the momentum when they got the goal, got belief back, but we did well to defend."
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