With a 2-0 home win over Brighton, Arsenal rose to the top of the rankings with 39 points after 17 rounds in the Premier League.
After losing to Aston Villa in the round of 16, Arsenal returned home to play against Brighton, a team that is also aiming to compete for the European Cup. Coach Arteta’s team created an overwhelming position, but it also needed goals in the explosive second half to get a 2-0 victory.
Arsenal experienced a difficult match against Brighton (Photo: AP).
With home advantage, Arsenal rushed to attack after the opening whistle. It is not difficult for Emirates Stadium’s home players to approach the away team’s goal, but the home team’s finishing touches are not really excellent enough to become goals.
The first clear scoring opportunity for the home team came in the 32nd minute. Saka escaped to receive the ball and attracted goalkeeper Verbruggen. He crossed inside for Martinelli to finish, under pressure from the away team player, Martinelli. kick the ball over the bar.
The Brazilian player continued to be given the opportunity to score in the 39th minute when he escaped and shot from a tight angle on the left, goalkeeper Verbruggen successfully blocked the ball. After that, Havertz caught the ball, but his shot was blocked by the away team player.
In the first half, Arsenal had 15 shots, only 3 times the ball hit the goal and failed to score a goal. Brighton was harmless in the first 45 minutes, the away team did not have a shot, they even lost troops in the 27th minute when defender Veltman was injured and had to leave the field.
Jesus celebrates after opening the score in the match (Photo: AP).
Arsenal’s attacking efforts were rewarded in the 53rd minute. From the home team’s corner, goalkeeper Verbruggen missed the ball and Jesus headed the ball into the net from close range, opening the score.
After conceding a goal, Brighton pushed the team up to attack, Arsenal was ready to step back and play defense and counterattack. Although Brighton dominated the ball control, it was not easy for them to reach Raya’s goal when Arsenal’s defense played quite well.
Arsenal’s sharp counterattacks always pose a great danger to the away team. The home team succeeded in the 87th minute. Nketiah received the ball in the middle of the field. He skillfully passed the ball to Havertz to run down to face Verbruggen. The German player finished neatly to increase the score to 2-0. This is also the final score of the match.
Havertz celebrates scoring against Brighton (Photo: AP).
