Arsenal got back to winning ways in the Premier League as they overcame Brighton in a frustrating affair.
Mikel Arteta’s side dominated large swaths of the game but failed to find a route through Brighton during the first-half.
While Arsenal did not manage to find a way through Brighton early on, they did everything but score. Arteta’s side dominated the opening stages of the game at the Emirates as shots rained in on Brighton stopper Bart Verbruggen.
The Gunners had five shots in the opening 20 minutes of the tussle – Bukayo Saka and Jesus notching two each and captain Martin Odegaard having the other. None of the efforts really drew the Brighton goalkeeper into any strenuous work however.
The best chance of the opening period came from Martin Odegaard’s clever cut-back to Martinelli but he somehow blazed his effort over. Havertz and Martinelli had further chances before the break, Despite not scoring, Arteta will certainly have been encouraged by his side’s start.
The second-half of the clash resumed practically where the first had left off: Arsenal creating plenty of chances but unable to find the net. That was until they got a helping hand from Brighton.
Miscommunication from Jan Paul van Hecke and Verbruggen as they attemped to defend a corner saw the ball drop to Jesus at the far post. It left him with the simple task of nodding into the unguarded net for his seventh goal of the season.
The strike was not one manufactured with precision and beauty. But it was certainly valuable and lifted the growing frustration at the Emirates.
For all of their talent on the pitch, it was the Gunners’ set pieces that really proved vital against Brighton, specifically their corners. The winning goal came from a corner as Brighton struggled to deal with a ball into the box before Jesus headed home.
Arteta’s side could well have profited even more. Another corner was only just cleared off the line by Lewis Dunk, while Verbruggen had to be alert to punch away even more dangerous efforts from Martinelli.
Kai Havertz’s slow start to life in North London is now firmly in the past after keeping up his goalscoring form. The German midfielder worked extraordinarily hard against Brighton in an energy-sapping display.
He got his reward late on as he raced beyond the Brighton defence and lifted a brilliant effort into the net. It was his third goal in his last five Premier League outings and fifth overall for the Gunners since his arrival from Chelsea.
Havertz came off to a wonderful reception, once again underlining his fantastic turnaround in North London.