Arsenal moved 7 points clear at the top of the table after an enthralling 4-2 win over Brighton this evening.
The Gunners went ahead early through Bukayo Saka, before Martin Odegaard doubled the lead. Eddie Nketiah made it 3-0 early in the second half, Brighton got one back, but an incredible Odegaard pass set up Gabriel Martinelli for the fourth.
A mistake from William Saliba handed the home side their second of the night, and they had the ball in the net again but this time it was ruled out for offside.
A bit nervy but ultimately a big win against a very good side who have caused us problems in the past. Happy New Year everyone.
Here’s how the players rated this evening.
Read the Brighton 2-4 Arsenal report and see the goals here
Brighton 2-4 Arsenal – Player Ratings
The ratings are hidden by default until you vote, but if you just want to view the ratings and the comments, flick the switch at the top above Aaron Ramsdale. Also, please give the ratings a few seconds to load.
Happy new year gooners!
Odegarrd was sublime today. He gets better and better. Odegarrd saka and martinelli will terrify any defence.
If I find out that Real have some sort of buy back clause for Odegaard I might actually cry 😭 he’s just a pleasure to watch game after game
They don’t – which is why they’re the ones crying, as we speak!
Don’t forget Eddie, he is such a talented striker and needs a run of games. He is showing what he is capable of and is different forward to Jesus, hopefully he can keep his goal scoring form
Kudos to Eddie who is proving me wrong week after week with his chance conversions and overall contribution
Imagine Mudryk added to this. Guy seems quicker the Gabi/
Good one 😂 Martinelli has beat Lamptey and Luis Diaz in a foot race this season and scored as a a result of one
Happy new year brothers
…and sisters!
Thank you Loretta
happy new year to you too
Being reminded of that Gabriel booking areegghhhhhh
I’m so sick of one side totally dominating the English game. It’s uncompetitive, disheartening and uninteresting.
I just don’t think it’s a fair playing field these days.
And so I call upon Arsenal to just play at 70% from now till the end of the season.
It’s simply not fair on the others.
I read that in Klopp’s voice.
For sure, Ha…
Special shout-out to Tom Partey for that amazing interception from Lamptey in the first minute. He’s been quietly spectacular in most games he’s played in this season
I think credit goes to who ever it was who had a nibble from behind which made Lamptey play the ball too far in front. Might have been Eddie. Not sure. Point is everyone is doing their bit to regain possession.
Partey has been exceptional since the City game at home last season. No doubt his absence towards the end of the season is the reason we lost top 4. Cant name anyone i would prefer in that position.
Can we all chip in via Arseblog and fund the purchase of Declan Rice?
Is… this a title race I see before me..?
No. That would require someone challenging us!
Noice.
Hmmm…that was frosty!
New year, new hope
I’m sure Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and all the other biased cunts don’t think so 😂
They will still be claiming with 4 games left and Arsenal 13 points clear that we will “bottle” it
TBF Carragher is not in the same slop bucket as Neville.
It is the hope that kills – oh god:D
I legit don’t know how to react
You know that MacBeth is a tragedy and the hero dies at the end right?
This Arsenal. They seem to be very good at football. Especially that Odegard fella. Lovely way to end the year.
Needs to be said. Zinchenko is ABSOLUTELY VITAL to us winning this title. No coincidence that the level of play dropped as soon as he went off the pitch. What he allows us to do tactically is absolutely masterful. Masterful tactics by Arteta, but Zinchenko…absolutely WORLD CLASS!
The subs we weird. We lost control of the game after him and white went off
And Partey. Yeah, I guess Mikel thought it was in the bag. It was clearly to rest their legs (very fair with Zinchenko), but a tad risky. Still it worked so now it’s a masterstroke. But really highlights what Zinchenko does for this team tactically in particular.
I think white was sick.
Game on tuesday lad..Had to save some important legs. Squad still isn’t completely without weakness.
I understand why Zinny was subbed, he can only play 60 minutes and Tomy was probably more about getting minutes in his legs than White coming off. We did lose more control when White came off.
Agreed; I thought Zinchenko was outstanding today.
Yeah – I’ve said it before:
Lokonga is a massive drop down from Thomas;
Holding just ain’t Gabi or Saliba (although Willy really needs to sharpen up now!)
Tierney ain’t Ziiiiiinch
Marquinhos ain’t Bukayo
We don’t have a Martinelli replacement which is becoming a massive concern… please Lord keep him injury free!
Money to be spent – striker (or bring Flo back); serious mid-fielder; another top class defender.
And – if Stan’s feeling flush – a two-footed wide player, but that’s a nice-to-have atm.
I think you’re doing Tierney an injustice. Yes he’s plays differently but he’s a better defender and offers different options. It’s great that we have both.
Yeah, Tierney is an exceptional backup to have, we’re the only team in the world with a Zinchenko – not sure how that can be replicated in anyway. Tomi tries his best at it, but again is a different player
We have smith Rowe and reiss nelson as martinelli backup
If they can stay healthy which do date they haven’t been able to do for an entire season.
ESR is a very special talent. Reiss Nelson considerable less so
Agree to an extent.
We are currently trying to buy Mudryk so Arteta has obviously thought about the martenelli thing.
Saliba’s mistakes are not that worrying they are a consequence of how he plays out of the back. Even todays mistake he was trying to let the ball run across him so he could play out the other way and miscontrolled it slightly. To me his real defensive errors were against man utd ages ago and last week when he lost the flight if the ball.
Tierney ain’t Ziiiiiinch = apples ain’t oranges (even if they’re in a Tesco bag….)
Knew he was special when i saw this…first game after that devastating (but hilarious) loss to real madrid. ..Oleksandr Zinchenko motivational talk born leader Manchester City loss vs RMD FC champions league – YouTube
Yeah he’s very good indeed but isn’t that a bit hyperbolic?
while I’m starting to believe that Saka is a diver I’m finding it hard to believe that Odegaard is only 23!
What?! Saka, a diver? He gets fouled more than any players in the bloody league and these fucking refs let the opposition have at him week in week out. Get outta here with that bollocks!
Spot on!
I think that was a joke
A blasphemous joke, but a joke all the same.
A late contender for the dumbest comment of 2022
Not you Fezec btw
To be fair, I’m starting to think he’s learning that if he goes down under the first contact he minimizes the damage to his already battered little legs.
Getting repeatedly kicked and fouled all game every game is going to lead to a broken leg and a ruined career- we’ve seen it 3 times already with talented players, don’t ask for a fourth.
while I think your take is fucking mind boggling I also believe that he’s 24!
I am sure you could get an urgent appointment with Specsavers.
Yay!
Odegaard was bought for just €35M
HAHAHAHA
Happy New Year y’all.
We should be referencing this when negotiating for Mudryk. If Odegaard costs 35M then Mudryk is only 25-30M tops 😁
Plus Mudryk has a dodgy haircut so we can shave off another couple of mill
What a team of nice, nice boys
F*cking love them!
A little generous to Ramsdale, had a few dodgy moments in the match. Saliba needs to sign up so he can solely concentrate on his game and I hope that ludicrous Gabriel booking doesn’t come back to bite us, don’t want anyone missing the next three matches due to suspension.
Enough whining from me, 3 great points at a tough ground and 7 points clear. Happy new year Gunners.
Gabriel is on 3 yellows. However, it is Saliba who is with 4 cards already and is at risk next two games.
I love Ramsdale to bits but there are some players with what seems an over abundance of confidence that needs reigning in from time to time (Szczesny and Manninger were similar)
Martin Ødegaard should get a 10/10 for the pass to Martinellithat nearly became the assist of the century. To think that some people were saying we overpaid for him makes me smile.
How about the pass between defenders legs in first half in a packed area. It was genius.
That’s the pass he was on about.
Oh yeah, I thought he was talking about the incredible pass for martinelli goal. The guy cam play football me thinks and apparently loves being with The Arsenal
When you have a player playing like Odegard does in the middle of the park, you can start believing we can win this league.
Lots of games much tougher than this still to negotiate with injuries, suspensions and form dips all may have to be dealt with. I still don’t think we’re winning the league but top four is definitely on. What signings we make (if any) in Jan may force me to change my opinion on winning the league
Sometimes I think to myself when the Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe chant is in my head ‘how can we possibly lose?’ I love this club, and I love this team, all of them.
It’s always an odd one when var does the right thing, especially when the ref on the field is determined to make himself the center of attention. Inconsistent application of the rules of the game (even across 90 minutes) is ruining what’s supposed to be the best league in the world.
How can technology get decisions wrong? It’s the officials that make the decisions.
Lets not think too much about what will happen in May, just enjoy the ride.
Happy new years all gooners!!
What a performance, such a big win!
I really do hope we bolster up this January. We definitely need a top quality player to help take the load off from Martinelli and Saka.
As well as a CM and a Striker possibly…
I’m loving what Arteta is creating, I feel pretty silly when I wanted him sacked last year! Thank god I’m not on the board!
And to add, I felt changing the two fullbacks at the same time took away some of our structure.
Reminded me of the subs he made against utd, sometimes too many changes at once is counter productive.
Sign a new winger, and also we’ve got ESR to come back, adding to our pretty impressive attacking options
Eddie is different but by God I love the kid ! He lives to score and all other parts of his game have gotten so much better Credit to him and to MA Big shout out to an Arsenal crowd back onboard and helping our team reach these optimistic peaks & roaring them on !
Happy New Year Gooners Health & Happiness to you and all your loved ones !!!
Stay humble and focused and this team will do wonders
We can’t complain about the Arsenal right now.. Come on lads! If we sign Mudryk. Ooooooweeer
Saliba. Saliba. Saliba. We need you back at the level we all know you were pre World Cup.
I know right?? I don’t know what he was smoking in Qatar but he’s out of form at the wrong time of the season
I’d say that the best time for a central defender to be out of form is when our attack is banging ’em in for fun. We need the mistakes to be cut out when we’re nicking one goal and clinging on!
Two mistakes is out of form now..Though he does need to sharpen up.
2 mistakes is not trivial when you are in a title race.
Martin Ødegaard! What a sensation! He’s like a fine mixture of Cesc Fabregas, Mesut Özil, Jack Wilshere and Thomas Rosicky!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! ❤
MØ > MÖ
Don’t forget a healthy sprinkling of Santi!
Saliba when are we going to talk about his post World Cup form?? conceded a penalty against west ham, sloppy 2nd goal to give away today. was dragged out for their 3rd which was ruled offside a little shaky throughout he needs to wake up quickly we’re not keeping clean sheets in games we are dominating can’t keep this up forever we have to start keeping clean sheets
Going forward getting 4 goals at Brighton is just amazing, but we can’t be proud of the way we defended today. Brighton were superb with the attacking passes in the 2nd half and we made it lige easier for them. Something to improve on for sure.
Lovely game – and the nervy finish made it enjoyable until the end. Of course, that’s easy to write once we won because I would have said differently if we had dropped points. Also – heads up that Martinelli’s goal is not showing in the summary column with a goal icon.
Watching Odegaard since he arrived here has been wild. I always felt he was good with a few caveats that kept him from true greatness. Then at some point that all changed and hes basically become world class. Hard to pinpoint exactly the moment it happened but it’s always fun to witness a player achieve true greatness. Look forward to many years more of him.
As soon as he got the armband… what coud have inhibited many as simply boosted him
Thank you Real Madrid for not believing in him.
Great way to end the year 7 points clear! There’s a long way to go but it’s great to see the form continues even without Jesus. The belief and confidence are there.
I am so happy. Thank you guys
That cheeky pass by Odegaard to Martinelli at the 21st minute was sublime.
Let’s enjoy the ride guys… it’s been a while since the last time 🎉🎇😍
Eddie, Eddie, Eddie
(Disclaimer: only saw extended highlights) Fantastic result against a side who are routinely underrated despite their palpable quality. Martin Odegaard is fast approaching the mantle of Brady Viera, Petit, Rocastle, Pires and Hillier if he continues to deliver this level of performance on a regular basis. Yes, we have tough fixtures ahead: Newcastle at home, Spuds away and Man Utd at home but the Magpies aside, I really don’t fear anyone at the moment (Chelsea and Man City continue to stutter) We did wobble a bit at the back in the latter stages but Gabriel and Saliba are only human… Read more »