Arsenal extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to five games after beating Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta's side have reclaimed their spot at the top of the Premier League, but still sit just two points ahead of Manchester City.
A goal inside the first quarter of an hour from captain Martin Odegaard, and a second-half own goal from the head of Gerginio Rutter was enough to secure the win for the home side. It was a hairy last 30 minutes, though, with Diego Gomez’s strike reducing their cushion to just one goal.
Odegaard’s strike was an impressive one, too. He managed to find room in the right half-space and got his shot off, firing past Bart Verbruggen from outside of the penalty area to give his side an early lead.
Odegaard
Overall, it was a game that the North London side dominated. They had 24 shots to the visitors’ eight, and, impressively, managed to prevent them from having a single strike at goal in the first 45 minutes.
It was a professional performance from Arteta’s men, with Bukayo Saka once again proving to be an important factor in the final third.
Saka’s performance in numbers vs. Brighton
Hale End graduate Saka has once again been a key man for Arsenal this season. His goals and assists tally is now up to 12 for the campaign, which includes one against the Seagulls, when he set up Odegaard.
Saka
It was perhaps a simpler assist than what he is used to getting. The Arsenal number seven was driving into the penalty box, but checked back and found his captain with a simple pass, who did the rest. It will please Arsenal fans to see the relationship between the pair still so strong.
His stats from the game show just how dominant Saka was against the Seagulls. He was at his creative best, playing four key passes and creating one big chance.
Off the ball, the winger won five duels and made five recoveries.
Indeed, his excellent showing earned him a post-match rating of 7/10 from Football London journalist Tom Canton. He praised the England international for his part in the Odegaard goal, which set the Gunners underway.
However, Saka was perhaps not the best player on the pitch in an Arsenal shirt.
The standout Arsenal player vs. Brighton
There was some shuffling of the pack required for Arteta today, and Declan Rice operated in an unfamiliar role at right-back.
However, the Arsenal number 41 did not let his performance levels drop despite operating in a new area of the pitch.
Rice
Canton was full of praise for Rice’s performance against the South Coast side, awarding him an 8/10 for his afternoon’s performance. He said the England international 'played the role excellently' and credited him for outstanding work in all phases of play.
The stats from the game show just how well the 26-year-old played in what was such a new role. He had 76 touches of the ball, completing 25 passes in the Brighton half and making four recoveries.
Rice key stats vs. Brighton
Stat
Touches
Pass accuracy
Passes in opposition half
Recoveries
Interceptions
Duels won
Chances created
Stats from Sofascore
There is certainly a case to say that Rice, who earns £240k per week at the Emirates, is Arsenal’s most important player. Previously, that might have been seen as Saka, but the winger’s England teammate has hit new heights this term.
Recently described as “the best midfielder in the world,” the former West Ham United man has shown just how versatile he is. Those maurading runs forward, and the work rate he shows off the ball were easily transferred to right-back against Brighton.
rice
The fact that Arteta can rely on Rice to put in an 8/10 performance at right-back, as well as in midfield, shows just how crucial he is to this Gunners outfit.
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