Second half goals from Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz gave Arsenal a 2-0 win over Brighton at the Emirates this afternoon.
The Gunners dominated in terms of chances, but found the visitors a tough defensive nut to crack, until Jesus headed home from a corner and the German’s late strike sealed all three points.
Here’s how the players rated this afternoon.
Read the Arsenal 2-0 Brighton match report and see the goals here
Arsenal 2-0 Brighton – 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 David Raya. Also, please give the ratings a few seconds to load.
Top of the table. Bring on Liverpool
Largish affair next I guess you could say…
it’s bigger than that Chris
Who’ve just been held goal-less at Anfield by Manure! COYG!
10/10 Mesut Ozil for flaming Leo Di Caprio for not knowing The famous Arsenal. That was a sick burn from our retired enigmatic German.
P.S. That pass from Nketiah to Havertz for the second goal! Didn’t know he had that in his locker.
Neither did the defender who came across to double up on him, leaving Havertz unmarked.
Unmarked sure but Eddie had a few tenths of a second to make it between that defender coming across, the chasing defender closing the space, and the third defender putting Havertz off side
The easy pass would have been out right to Saka, but that would have given them time to regroup.
That was was a perfectly timed and weighted pass from Eddie but you probably won’t see many gooners give him credit for that. Not saying he should be regarded as a Mesut Özil level passer mind you, or even Fabio Vieira, but he made a pass today that either of them would have been very happy with, and he also scored that screamer a few weeks ago, at the very least it shows he’s capable of surprising us from time to time.
Fabio viera? lol.
‘capable of surprising us from time to time’ is hardly something you would put on your football resume is it?
So Ozil is now sucking back up to us is he? After 3 years of snide remarks about Arsenal and Arteta…fk prick.
Don’t really care what Ozil thinks about anything frankly
Leo was just taking a piss, of course he knows Arsenal.
Bonus rating
5ish/10: that clumsy sliding celebration form our Havertz goal machine 😅
The slide hit a bump in the turf😂
To be fair – the yellow card on White was extremely harsh, especially after Milner escaped a blatant yellow a short while before. This obviously makes it harder for Bennie.
Replied to the wrong comment, sorry 🙂
It’s better this way. Makes you think.
There are no bumps in the carpet.
Meaning, he must score more for perfecting the celebration. Go Kai!
Ben White 7.5? I thought he got caught a few times including the best chance they had (Saliba was angry with him). Everything they created was on his side.
Yeah, I agree. I felt real nervy when Mitoma was in possession against White. Not his best game, but good enough.
Overall well done against a disciplined team, but we need to improve our efficiency a bit. We’re creating quite a lot. But man I thought that gross goal was in for sure.
Good 2-0 win in the end. Vital points – COYG!!!
In my opinion, White seems to play his worst games of the season against Brighton
Maybe because they have one of the best left wingers?
Agree
To be fair to White, Brighton nearly always attack down their left, whether it’s Mitoma or Adingra their most skillful wide men usually play on that side.
Brighton are always incredibly good at creating chances no matter who they play, so like blogs said I thought we did fine in suppressing them the way we did. In that sense a fairer reflection of the game would’ve been 5-2 to us.
I think if every very good chance is a goal, we win 5-1, maybe 6-1. Gross’ miss was their only genuine chance.
Absolutely agree on the first part. Thought Mitoma had one of his quietest games you‘ll see all season and a lot of the credit for that goes to Benjamin.
But I’m really wondering how you thought Brighton could have scored 2. they had one chance all game. Yes, it was a pretty big one but it was all they created in 90 mins.
White was seldom even in the same post code as Mitoma 2nd half
Agree with this. Ben White really struggled in the second half, it felt like Brighton were targeting him. Saliba saved him a couple of times. Not sure if it’s that he’s not 100% or if Mitoma is just rapid.
Just be grateful Mitoma was running at Ben and not at Zinch… that could have been a very different story!
I think he has done amazing job in that right flank, he is a CB play RB. I’m sure there is a reason Arteta spend handsomely on Timbers and has preferred Tomi when fit. I think when everyone is fit, White will be backup for Gab/Saliba alongside Kiwior
White is a back-up to no one.
Why is he in the England squad if he’s just a back-up right back?
You have to consider White was on a yellow (quite a soft one at that) defending against one of the best left wingers in the league. The moment he got booked Brighton would have been foolish not to target him hoping to capitalize on his hesitance in fear of a second yellow and i think under the circumstances he held himself remarkably well.
White is mot the first top quality full back that Mitoma will rinse this season
I felt all my ratings were rather higher than they would have been had Gross equalised and Brighton had hung on for a point. Our energy was great though our finishing was way off today. But the result changes everything.
Felt Saka should have been replaced at least 5-10mins earlier. He was knackered at the end and leaving White isolated against Mitoma and not helping on defense. That was a really nervy time. Even a bit similar with Zinny, but he was still doing ok. I think Mikel got a bit lucky with that Gross chance and should have noticed Saka’s tiring legs earlier. Nelson sured things up a lot at the end (obviously the goal did too).
I was screaming for Arteta to take him off, because it was obvious his legs were gone.
Please permit me to give Odegard and Rice the highest rating – 10, when we start converting most of our chances, no team can hurt us.
Who in Wenger’s name downvotes a comment like that. Lurkers from N17 surely?
MØ8 kept all he has for next Saturday
Think De Zerbi must have been at least the 10th manager this season who said his team suffered a lot against us.
When you hear opposition managers talk about playing against us, you start to realize how far we‘ve come under Mik. We‘re an absolute pain in the arse for whoever we‘re up against. Can‘t wait for the big CL games next year. An absolute pleasure to see us develop under this manager. If it would be up to me, he can stay as long as Arsene or even longer.
🎶 We‘ve got super Mik Artetaaaa 🎶
In the famous words of blogs Meekie!
I was with the impatient “Arteta out” brigade, and Arteta shut me up.
When you consider that PGMOL has robbed us at least 8 points this season, a bit more ruthlessness upfront should see us lift the EPL.
Martinelli must get more effective with his passing. Tortures opposition every week, but not producing enough assists or goals
Yeah, reminds me of early days Vini. I think Martinelli would benefit greatly from having a coach work with him one-on-one. He already knows how to toy with opposition RB. Just add that end product and it’s game over.
His cross for Havertz was perfect.
And the one to Magalhães, also. Not his fault they didn’t get in.
But, he could have done better in other chances he had to shoot.
Nonetheless, he’s great and could be even better.
And the one he fizzed through the 6 yard box, where Saka had drifted inside and both he and Havertz were a yard off.
It’s a bit weird that this is one of the few automatisms that still doesn’t quite work yet, because it really should, given how well these players know each other by now.
I said something similar on this chat last week. Most disagreed, so I paid particular attention to Martinelli in today#s match. He did create a very good chance for a Havertz header. What stood out quite strongly, was our lack of movement in the box. Martinelli. and especially Saka, put in some very inviting crosses today. We need a number 9
Havertz was good today and took his goal brilliantly (but he did miss a sitter of a header before that…?)
I don’t agree really with blogs today, thought Martinelli was complete terror for the opposition and with some better execution from Teammates would have at least 2 assists today, should however have scored.
But i thought it was one of our best performances, complete control! COYG
Perfect!
As comprehensive a 2 nil win as you are likely to ever see although they did have their one big chance of the game when it was only 1 nil with about 10 mins to go. Odegard my man of the match today,, closely followed by Rice, has he ad a bad game for us yet?
Declan is like the first time you buy a Rice cooker. Before you have it your Rice quality fluctuates from 4/10 to 9/10 via the pot/stovetop method, then you get the Rice cooker and you’re an 8-10/10 every time and you wonder why you never just spent the £100M they cost years earlier.
Stovetop?! 🤔
Gotta be a pretty decent rice cooker, for £100m.
Would be expecting a 9.5/10 every time
Available in Harrods. Gold plated and plays the 1812 overture while it cooks.
Also both Bluetooth and WiFi capable, for no readily apparent reason.
For that price, you want the Bach cello suites. With Yo Yo Ma in your living room.
For that price I’d want Johan Sebastian himself !
He’s the best Rice cooker I’ve ever seen!
For 100m the cooker comes complete with it’s own paddy and villa that offers superb views over the rest of your private island that it’s on…
Rice’s one bad game for us was that league cup capitulation where the whole team stunk 🤷♂
Loved the showboating from Jesus even when we were just 1-0 up (after total domination though).
He was full of energy & belief today!
Havertz has now scored 4 in last 6!
0/10 – The many frustrating chances flouted by the team before scoring.
9/10 – Martinelli’s front post corner kicks..
9/10 – Rice’s forward drives especially after abit of horse-shoeing..
10/10 – The feeling of battering that bogey team until they coughed up the 2 goals.. Satisfying to dominate a De Zerbi team..
Generous with Benjamin’s ratings (but we know Blogs has a soft spot for him). He looks like he’s struggling with something. Struggled against Mitoma but our defensive work kept those opportunities on the low count.
There is still something in ESR. 10 minutes play time and he manage to have a decent shot at goal. Just hope he stay injury free.
The comment about him hitting it straight at the keeper was a bit harsh to me. Had to volley it and didn’t have much room to get it off; thought he did well to hit it low, hard and on-target.
Yep – and keeper did very well to get down and smother it.
It’s been 2 years since he did anything of note for us. After 10 minuets of football, it’s far too early to judge.
Wouldn’t a better attempt at goal have gone in? Smith-Rowe’s ship sailed a while back. Very talented player yes, but needs to pursue first team football elsewhere as he’s clearly not part of Arteta’s plans
WTF about that booking of White!? 🤬 Yeah sure, it was by the letter of the law. But only if Milners lumbering and intentional knee high challange on Saka is a yellow one. If you have a ’caution’ on Milner – which really doesn’t excist in the rules since that is the point of the yellow – then it needs to be the same for White in that case. The inconsistencies are maddening. 🙁 And Arteta got another yellow for ”stating” what was obvious, but still somehow was needed to put pressure on the ’ref’ to make the right call.… Read more »
Saka had roasted them several times, got kicked badly after 9 min, roasted them some more until Milner decided he had enough and just went through. He knew exactly what he was doing, this is a yellow card, no two ways about it. Bad refereeing. The yellow for White was correct, and so was the one for Mitoma for the exact same foul. That the ref was so hesitant and apparently only gave it after a whisper in his ear was annoying. Honestly, I’m glad he only booked Arteta and not Saka or Zinchenko, because that’s the kind of treatment… Read more »
White was skinned by his winger again and again and again. Probably deserves a 5.5 for tha performance. Did OK considering he got an early yellow.
Mitoma is as good as winger as in the league so no issues with Ben’s performance.
ever heard about mitoma?
Delighted with the boys .
Raya very good , back four class, Rice, odd and kai were a dream trio on paper (in Miks head )and now all on form and understand each other and their roles .
I just feel to win the league we need Gabi Marti to go on a Freddie ljungberg run in the new year and just feels like he’s about to break out of his flesh and cruise into a world class player .
Raya not ‘very good’ yet – still always a tad squeaky bum when he has to come for a cross.
That moment of Zinch failing to stop the cross, only for Raya to fumble it before regathering kinda summed up the nervy state with those 2 playing together… just never a sure thing.
Nothing boosts confidence like a clean sheet
Raya was fine. Zinchenko, not so much
Bonus rating: we’ve all been there.
A lot of lovely build-up play. We need to shore up our right side. The channel ball between the RCB and RB sometimes catches White off guard, but not sure what we can do without Tomiyasu and when Saka tires in the last fifteen minutes of a game.
We certainly should have put the game away much, much earlier, but liked how we kept pushing to score instead of settling with just defending the lead. Going to be a great match next weekend, would be great to go 4 points clear at the top heading into Christmas (assuming Villa loses and we beat Liverpool).
Rice is just so damn good and makes the game look so easy. Would like to see him be more selfish around the box and look for his shot more, but is there a better player in the PL in winning the ball back and covering the ground in that position he does?
I always disliked James Milner. He looks like the love child of Carragher and Neville. It was great to see Saka roast him time and time again, that ugly twat.
The poverty of the English game has made Milner a very rich old man.
A really good performance in the end. Squandered a few chances in the first half but we just kept going and eventually it came. If Declan Rice had scored that chance from his own fantastic run in the second half the roof would have come off the place. What a player he is. Odegaard was majestic today also. We can get something at Anfield next week. But also, I was super impressed by one player in particular in this game. A Brighton one actually. Lewis Dunk. I think as a pure football fan, you have to respect him as a… Read more »
Dunk was lucky to keep his balls out of the net.
I’d take Dunk as decent backup to Willie/Gabi any day – quality defender with a lot of the Tony A, Martin K about him.
I’d take Dunk in a heartbeat
He had cojones