Arsenal held off a late Brighton and Hove Albion rally to secure a 2-1 victory at the Emirates Stadium and move back above Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. Martin Ødegaard's first goal of the season and a Georginio Rutter own goal gave Mikel Arteta's side a seemingly comfortable cushion, only for Diego Gómez's strike to set up a tense finale that required David Raya's best work to preserve the points.
In a contest shaped by Arsenal's mounting injury problems and Brighton's worrying form, the hosts dominated for long spells, racking up 24 shots and restricting Fabian Hürzeler's side to none before half-time. Yet their failure to turn control into a more emphatic scoreline left the game in the balance until the final whistle, underlining both Arsenal's strength and their lingering vulnerability in tight matches.
Makeshift back line, familiar control
Arsenal's preparations were undermined even before a ball had been kicked. Jurrien Timber's injury meant there was no recognised right-back available, forcing Declan Rice to fill in there for the first time in his Arsenal career. Then a problem in the warm-up ruled out Riccardo Calafiori at left-back, with Myles Lewis-Skelly drafted into the starting XI at the last moment. Despite that upheaval, Arteta's side started on the front foot, determined to respond to Manchester City's earlier win over Nottingham Forest.