[Arsenal](https://youaremyarsenal.com/arsenal-vs-brighton-match-preview/) beat Brighton 2-1 at the Emirates and climbed back to the top of the Premier League. City won earlier, so this was not a “nice three points”. It was a response game.
The performance had two distinct truths. Arsenal controlled almost everything. Arsenal still made the last 25 minutes harder than it needed to be. You can call that drama, or you can call it unfinished business.
Brighton’s late push did not erase what happened before it. Arsenal created enough to put this away by half-time, then again at 2-0. They didn’t. So the match ended with David Raya producing a save that will live on every season montage.
### **First Lesson Learned: Arsenal’s structure crushes teams, then Arsenal lets them breathe**
Arsenal’s opening was ruthless. Brighton had no first-half shots. Arsenal reached 15 attempts before the break. That tells you the shape worked and the press worked. It also tells you the game state should have been settled long before the nerves kicked in.
The first goal came from the exact pattern Arteta wants. Force a mistake. Win the second ball. Move it quickly into a shooting pocket. Saka finds Odegaard. One touch. Low finish. Job done.
From there, Arsenal looked like a side that had solved the problem. The right side carried the game. Rice, filling in at right-back, gave Arsenal a stable platform and clean progression. Odegaard operated in that edge-of-the-box channel Arsenal keep returning to. Saka stayed high and wide, then attacked the full-back when Brighton tried to step out. Brighton spent long spells trapped in their own third.
Arsenal’s second goal came from a Rice corner that Brighton could not deal with. Another own goal will annoy people who want every win to look “pure”. The reality is simpler. Arsenal put balls into the corridor that creates chaos. The opponent has to defend it. Errors follow.
Then Arsenal did the thing that keeps showing up. At 2-0, the game should move into control mode through the ball. Fewer transitions. Longer possession spells. Cleaner rest defense. Arsenal drifted toward protection mode instead. That shift changes the match.
Brighton’s goal came after Arsenal ceded territory and allowed repeat entries. The shot hits the post, the rebound falls kindly, and suddenly the stadium feels the weight of the table. That is why closing games matters. You do not need to play badly to get punished. You just need to give the opponent oxygen.
The headline numbers back this up.
* Arsenal outshot Brighton 24-8.
* xG sat around 2.0 for Arsenal, around 0.7 for Brighton.
* Brighton created little until Arsenal’s control loosened.
Arsenal’s system is title-level. Their late-game control still has gaps.
### **Second Lesson Learned: Odegaard’s night mattered, Saka’s night was the engine, Raya’s moment was the difference**
Odegaard scoring changes the temperature around him. It was his first league goal of the season. It came from the “O-zone” Arsenal fans talk about, that edge-of-the-box pocket where he should threaten more often. This goal was not a deflection or a scramble. It was a captain taking responsibility in a game that demanded it.
His wider performance mattered even more. He drove Arsenal’s right-side combinations and pressed with intent. He created five chances, with Saka close behind. He connected well with Zubimendi and Merino, which helped Arsenal keep building attacks instead of forcing them.
Saka was the match’s constant problem for Brighton. Seven shots. Sixteen touches in the box. Five dribbles attempted. Brighton tried different defenders, different cover angles, even changes at half-time. None stopped the pattern. Saka got to the byline, cut inside, and kept forcing Brighton to defend facing their own goal.
This is the part Arsenal need to be honest about. The game should have been over. Gyokeres had a one-on-one inside two minutes and hit it straight at Verbruggen. Martinelli missed a close-range chance late on. Jesus had opportunities too. Arsenal’s finishing kept Brighton in the story.
That is why Raya had to be a hero.
Minteh’s shot was heading into the far top corner. Raya’s save was not just athletic, it was clean technique under pressure. Full stretch. Strong hand. Ball over the bar. That’s the moment that turns “two points dropped” into “another win in the bank”.
Raya has had big saves this season. This one was a match winner.
Rice also deserves real credit. Playing right-back in a title race is not a fun experiment. He defended wide spaces well, delivered the corner for the second goal, and still looked like a midfielder in possession. It was a serious performance in an uncomfortable role.
### **Third Lesson Learned: Arsenal’s depth is real, the tension is real, the next step is killing games off**
This match started with disruption and ended with a reminder. Arsenal are good enough to dominate league games even when the back line is patched together. Arsenal are still learning how to make dominance feel safe.
Timber out. Calafiori out in the warm-up. White out. Mosquera out. Lewis-Skelly starts. Rice moves to full-back. Gabriel returns from the bench. That is not the defensive plan Arsenal wanted in December. Arsenal still played front-foot football for most of the match.
That is a strength. It speaks to coaching clarity and squad buy-in.
The concern is the recurring late-game pattern. Arsenal have conceded late goals recently. You can see the effect on the stadium. You can see the effect on decision-making. Clearances replace passes. Duels replace control. The match becomes a coin flip you did not need to flip.
City do not give opponents that kind of hope very often. Arsenal still do, even in games they dominate.
That does not mean Arsenal lack mentality. They won. They adapted to injuries. They defended the box when it got messy. They found a way.
It means the margins are tighter than they should be. That’s the difference between a title chase that feels steady and one that drains you every week.
Arsenal have a home fixture against Aston Villa next. That match will bring its own pressure and its own emotional charge. Arsenal can help themselves with one simple improvement. Take the chances that end games.
### **Conclusion**
Arsenal beat Brighton and went back top. The performance was strong, the finishing left it open, and Raya’s save kept it from becoming another regret.
Three lessons stand out.
* Arsenal’s structure smothered Brighton for long stretches, then Arsenal allowed a route back in.
* Odegaard and Saka drove the game, Raya decided it.
* The depth is strong enough to survive defensive chaos, the next step is turning dominance into calm wins.
Arsenal do not need perfection. They need a third goal in games like this. They need longer spells of possession after 2-0. They need the match to feel finished before the clock makes it feel fragile.