Premier League: Arsenal prove title credentials again
Brighton & Hove Albion 0 - 3 Arsenal
Arsenal moved to the top of the Premier League table (potentially only for one day) after a convincing away victory over Brighton, keeping their hope for their first title in 20 years alive.
The returning Bukayo Saka, absent for Wednesday's 2-0 victory over Luton with a minor injury, kept his composure under pressure to slam in a first-half penalty awarded for Tariq Lamptey's foul on Gabriel Jesus.
David Raya jumped to save Julio Enciso's long-range shot, which was Brighton's first on-target attempt, securing Arsenal's lead before halftime.
It was the in-form Kai Havertz who gave the Gunners breathing space, slotting in from Jorginho's cut-back to settle nerves among the travelling Arsenal support after the hour mark.
Leandro Trossard initially failed to score against Bart Verbruggen, but later on, he calmly lifted the ball over the Seagulls goalkeeper to seal the victory after being played through by Havertz.
Trossard impressed on his return to Brighton yesterday. https://t.co/qfMpbyVToc pic.twitter.com/osYpiK384L
— European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) April 7, 2024
At times, this was a poor performance from the home side. They have dropped to 10th with another defeat as their hopes of achieving European football for a second successive season were dealt a blow by wins for West Ham and Newcastle, two sides that are directly above them. 8th place could still get European qualification, their season isn't quite over yet. They face Manchester United on the last day of the season. That match could prove to be very important."
Arsenal fans will start to be feeling more confident that they will avoid last season's mistakes. Their eight-point advantage last season evaporated in April.
With seven games to go this time, there remains no sign of Arteta's side falling away as they seek redemption in a fascinating three-team title race. With last year's painful experience and another 12 months of progress behind them, they appear to be getting stronger as they chase the club's first league title since 2004.
They have taken an incredible 31 points out of a possible 33 in 2024, with an aggregate score of 38-4. Their recent 0-0 draw against Manchester City saw them display a very different side to their game. Defensively, they looked solid. In this match, their attacking players came to the forefront again.
More news and stories from the 2023/2024 Premier League title race.
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Key players hitting form for Arsenal
Saka's vital importance to Arsenal's title ambitions was displayed again. The 22-year-old England international has now been involved in 30 goals in 39 appearances this season.
After Gabriel missed a chance to put the visitors ahead inside the opening two minutes when he headed Martin Odegaard's superb free-kick wide of the target, Saka looked poised to score after cutting inside onto his left foot but curled wide.
But he has now matched the 14 league goals he managed last season, and his confident spot-kick hinted at Arsenal's increased maturity.
Havertz is also hitting form at the perfect time for the Gunners, with the former Chelsea player having nine goal involvements - including five goals - in the past seven league games.
Where next for Brighton?
Despite the result, it was great to be back at the Amex. 💙🤍 Thanks for your support, Albion fans. 👏 pic.twitter.com/ix0FHABqHT
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) April 7, 2024
Brighton have won only three of their past 12 league games following this defeat, which ended a club record 12-match unbeaten top-flight home run.
They have also scored just three times in their past eight fixtures across all competitions. As in their frustrating midweek goalless draw at Brentford, shortcomings in the final third were evident once again here.
Boss Roberto de Zerbi has been linked with top jobs at Liverpool and Bayern Munich due to his impressive impact since last season. However, during this match, the team's build-up play and pressing didn't translate into significant goal-scoring opportunities, resulting in just one shot on target in each half for Brighton.
They now face an uphill battle to qualify for European football for a second successive season. Their bid to achieve that resumes at struggling Burnley next Saturday.
More fan reaction
Daniel, a Arsenal fan, told us: "Last season, when we reflect on it, was not great. However, from a fan's perspective, we can see that we have learned from our mistakes. In games like the one we played, we needed to move on from it and focus on the next one. In the past, we would concede late goals and have to defend, which led to us being annoyed by some of the players. They now look more comfortable and I believe the team is much better."
Robert, a Brighton fan, added: "We had a good first half and continued playing well in the second half until we conceded the second goal. After that, our performance wasn't as good and we ended up losing against one of the top teams in the Premier League. Due to our injured players, it's always going to be hard to compete against teams like Arsenal."
A resounding performance from #Arsenal.
— Jay Dee (@JDESFNews) April 7, 2024
If only #ManchesterUnited had similar players! https://t.co/sibOvrXJB0 pic.twitter.com/DlN7UPjM1u
Liam, a Manchester United fan, watched the match as a neutral and had similar views to JDESFNews. He said: "As a Man United fan, I love watching Arsenal at the moment. They are everything that United aren't. I really hope they win the league instead of City or Liverpool."
