Arsenal survived one of those nights at Brighton
Probably one of the ugliest anyone has seen Arsenal played since they came off the bench under Mikel Arteta, but the fact that they came out unscathed is a testament to how much they’ve learnt from their past failures.
Not every matchday do you see Arsenal complete 101 defensive actions. Brighton had them all night, but the defence would not be breached. Even when they had David Raya beaten thanks to an error of his own making, Gabriel was there so smother.
The Brazilian, alongside Piero Hincapie and Jurrien Timber were just at the top of their game, and they needed to be. Declan Rice too, while the attackers and substitutes also played their part as Mikel Arteta’s team survived the storm.
Fabian Hurzeler’s frustration is well understood, as it was a huge blow to Brighton’s chances of securing a European spot, but he must take responsibility for his own losses, rather than blaming it on the style of the opponents.
It was the third time his side had played against the Gunners this season, and the Londoners had won the previous two before Wednesday night, even starting 15-year-old Max Dowman and three other teenagers in one of the encounters.
In his post-match interview, the German criticized Arsenal’s time wasting, but there have been 195 instances of a team taking longer than Arsenal’s 31.4 seconds to get the ball back into play from corners, goal kicks, throws, and free-kicks, out of 280 Premier League matches in 2025-26.
Arsenal also ranks sixth best for percentage of match minutes with the ball in play, ahead of top teams like Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Aston Villa, as well as Brighton themselves, who are the fourth worst team on the metrics.
If a counterpart has beaten you twice in the same season, they have the right to decide which way they want to beat you since you appear to show no resistance, and despite their dominance, they just couldn’t break down Arsenal.
Arsenal survived one of those nights
Arsenal have sorted their biggest recurring trouble before the start of the season, and that is increasing the depth of their squad, which has been decisive so far this season.
On several occasions, a first-team regular has pulled out just before kickoff of several games: Bukayo Saka against Leeds, Jurrien Timber against Brighton, William Saliba against Brentford, to name but a few, yet they have been able to field a replacement without too much dip in quality.
Understandably, in William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, the club has one of the best center-back pairs in Europe, but with the backup plans, Arsenal have been able to put their season in shape whenever injury threatens.
Not taking anything away from the players who have deputized for them so far, many of the points dropped this season have come when both players have not been on the pitch together, and after the setback Saliba had ahead of Brighton, there was a feeling they are set for one of those nights.
Brighton is one of the toughest fixtures for Arsenal. They have taken four points off Manchester City this season, beat Chelsea in Stamford Bridge, beat Man United in an FA Cup clash at Old Trafford, and are on the back of consecutive wins.
The Gunners had also failed to win five of eight Premier League visits to the AMEX before Wednesday night, and at this stage of the season, the fixture sold the ambience that Arsenal has bottled it again.
And yes, the start was shaky. They needed a Gabriel Magalhaes goal-line clearance to not fall behind in the opening minutes, while Cristhian Mosquera, who came in for William Saliba, endured a difficult night.
Bukayo Saka’s shot might have been a routine save for Bart Verbruggen, but a slight deflection was all it took for the Dutch goalkeeper to not keep it out, but as they say, you don’t win a raffle without buying a ticket.
Brighton was better in all aspects, but Arsenal would not pick up the ball from the back of their net, and they survived what the pundits had predicted would be the match where they fall, even after surviving Spurs and Chelsea.
But the Seagulls’ failure to earn anything from the matches was down to Arsenal’s defensive masterclass and nothing more. Gabriel made 14 defensive clearances, a number not bettered by any Arsenal player in the last 10 Premier League seasons.
The night got even better for the Gunners as their main rival for the title, Manchester City, was held at home by Nottingham Forest, a result that means the Gunners now assume full control of the title race, even if they are to lose at the Etihad in April.
The stars may be aligning for Arsenal as they continue their quest for a first Premier League title in 22 years, but the journey is never over until it is over.
Eight games to go, Mikel Arteta’s team leads the way, seven points ahead of Manchester City, who have played a game less. Everton and Bournemouth visit the Emirates before they meet with Manchester City.
Should they manage to come out on top in their next two games and avoid a defeat at Manchester City, the title will be within touching distance, but it doesn’t get any tougher, especially for a team that has failed in this stage in the past.
The nerve has started kicking in, but they survived it at Brighton, just like they did against Chelsea a few days before, and at Spurs after that Randal Kolo Muani’s leveler, yet the question of whether they’ll endure much longer will continue to linger.
One thing is certain, the win at Brighton is one of those nights that could have gone wrong, and if that means Arsenal can finally overcome the hiccups and achieve a climax finish remains to be seen.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
