By Danong
Arsenal defeated
Brighton 3-0. The Seagulls hadn't lost a league match at the Amex Stadium since
August 26th when West Ham defeated them 3-1 but then Arsenal showed
up.
This highly impressive
victory showcased very clearly Arsenal’s fantastic balance in its structure
between defence, midfield and attacking play. It has sent an ominous message to
its rivals for the Premier League crown especially to Liverpool who are next to
play.
How it happened: Tariq
Lamptey hauled down Gabriel Jesus in the 31st minute resulting in a penalty
kick which Bukayo Saka converted to break the deadlock. Arsenal led 1-0 at the
break. Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard scored in the second half for the 3-0
final score.
Mikel Arteta fielded close
to his best lineup after resting a number of his key players in the 2-0 victory
last Wednesday over Luton. As expected the Gunners, as a team, showed up alright
but how did they perform individually?
David Raya (8/10).
Calm as always. He
didn't have much to do. The only remarkable aspect of his play on Saturday
evening was an impressive first-half save to deny Enciso. Except for a few
errant passes early in the game (which he needs to eradicate from his play) he
played well. Notably, he recorded his 12th Premier League clean sheet.
Ben White (7/10).
Following his recent
brilliance as an inverted fullback he returned to playing as a typical right
back. He was a high-flying right-back on the right wing and his link-up play
with Saka occasionally tormented Estupinian. However, Enciso gave him a difficult
time.
William Saliba (8/10).
He had a relatively quiet
performance; he wasn't tested much and Gabriel performed all the dirty work.
Though, as usual, he provided serenity to Arsenal's defence especially when
bringing the ball out of the defence like a seasoned midfielder. With him and
Gabriel playing as a pair, Arsenal have now gone 7 hours without conceding an away goal.
Gabriel Magalhães
(8/10)
Saliba injected
serenity, but Gabriel was hands-on, defending high and attempting to get on the
receiving end of corner kicks. Should have scored with at least one header. He
gave Danny Welbeck a hard time. Late in the game he made a key block in the
penalty area and helped the Gunners record their 14th clean sheet. Had an
injury scare towards the end of the first half but looked fine in the second
half.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
(6/10).
He wasn't at his best,
mislaying a few passes. He didn't have the same impact on the game as we've come to
expect as he neither helped the team defend nor assisted us to have more
control in midfield. We can however forgive him because he's only recently
recovered from injury and still trying to find his consistency. But he
occasionally had a great link up with Gabriel Jesus.
Jorginho (7/10).
Initially, Brighton
found a way to isolate him. However, he tapped into his experience to still
influence the game. His passing was impeccable and he played some fantastic
through balls. His major contribution was of course the excellent assist for
Havertz's crucial goal.
Declan Rice (8/10).
He covered a lot of
distance as per usual. Had to chase back a lot, especially when Brighton broke
Arsenal's press which was more than it should have been. Towards the end of the
game he had the opportunity to put his name on the score sheet but didn't. He
really should have passed the ball to someone who was better placed to score.
But overall he had a great game and competed hard.
Martin Odegaard
(8/10).
Leader. Continues to
excel despite not scoring or assisting in the game. Is crucial to Arsenal's
game plan especially when leading the press from the front. He's a joy to
watch. He played an excellent pass to Jorginho who set up Havertz for Arsenal's
second goal of the game. He was superb as usual—a captain's performance.
Bukayo Saka (6/10).
Coming off an
"alleged injury," he was decent, not at his best. He missed a great
opportunity to open the scoring when he managed to cut inside the area but his
shot went out when everyone expected the net to bulge. He did score the opener
a little later on however when he calmly slotted in the penalty. Linked up play
beautifully with White on the right wing to trouble Estupinian..
Kai Havertz (9/10).
Clinical. Was the man
of the match. Can we finally agree that Arsenal signed him to bolster their
attack not to replace Granit Xhaka? The German's revival continued as he led
Arsenal's attack against Brighton. He scored Arsenal's second goal of the game
before assisting Trossard for the third. Kai Havertz is the Premier League
player with the most direct goal contributions (8) since February 17th. What a
player!
Gabriel Jesus (7/10).
Had a decent
performance. Won the penalty. Forced a save from the Brighton custodian, missed
a couple of headers, but was okay on the left wing.
Substitutes
Leandro Trossard
(7/10).
He was fantastic and
re-energised Arsenal's attack when he came on. Forced a save from the Brighton
goalkeeper before scoring Arsenal's game-winning goal.
Gabriel Martinelli
(5/10).
His impact was not
felt. Had an uneventful game.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
(5/10).
He was brought on to
see out the game, which he did.
Fabio Vieira and Eddie
Nketiah (n/a)
They came on late, with the Seagulls already taken care off.
Mikel Arteta (8/10).
Resting players vs.
Luton paid off. He fielded a powerful lineup which ensured they left Amex
Stadium with all three points. Every decision he made in that game, including
the lineup and substitutions, was bang on. The Spaniard has convinced everyone
that Arsenal can beat anyone they play.