Arsenal Escape Brighton's Dramatic Late Surge: Player Ratings Revealed

Arsenal have returned to the summit of the Premier League standings after securing a 2–1 victory against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

While Manchester City's earlier triumph over Nottingham Forest had temporarily pushed the Gunners into second position, Mikel Arteta's squad quickly restored their top spot.

Martin Ødegaard opened the scoring in the early stages of the match, followed by a Georginio Rutter own goal shortly after the interval that appeared to guarantee a comfortable victory. However, Diego Gómez reduced the deficit and Brighton created additional chances to equalize that they failed to convert.

Despite suffering a pre-match injury setback just before kickoff, what could have been a challenging afternoon for Mikel Arteta's Arsenal turned into a controlled performance where they commanded proceedings for over half the contest, eventually weathering Brighton's late comeback attempt.

Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Brighton (4-3-3)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: David Raya—7.8: Remained largely untroubled throughout most of the encounter until the final stages, producing a spectacular save at 2–1 that proved crucial. Few goalkeepers maintain such focus levels in similar circumstances.

RB: Declan Rice—7.2: Shifted from his usual midfield role to compensate for Jurriën Timber's injury absence, yet still influenced proceedings with dangerous set-piece deliveries.

CB: William Saliba—6.9: An unremarkable performance at the back, though likely to be reunited with his regular partner next match, following Gabriel's substitute appearance.

CB: Piero Hincapié—7.1: Registered an impressive pass completion rate with excellent accuracy. Defensively, struggled to win crucial aerial battles when needed.

LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly—6.2: A last-minute inclusion following Riccardo Calafiori's warm-up injury. Making his first start this season, Brighton eventually exploited his flank—earlier targeting might have yielded better results.

CM: Mikel Merino—7.0: Disrupted Brighton's rhythm and prevented them from establishing control during the opening hour. His range-finding was slightly off when he spotted Bart Verbruggen off his line.

CM: Martín Zubimendi—7.4: Effective in both phases of play but lost his grip as Brighton gained momentum.

CM: Martin Ødegaard (c)—8.6: His maiden goal this season clearly held special significance for the captain after an individually challenging campaign plagued by injury setbacks.

RW: Bukayo Saka—8.6: Arsenal's creative hub, especially during their dominant first-half display. Registered an assist for his efforts.

ST: Viktor Gyökeres—6.5: After receiving an early booking, was he fortunate to escape a second yellow for a first-half challenge? Squandered two opportunities that could have sealed the victory before Brighton's resurgence.

LW: Leandro Trossard—7.8: Heavily involved in creative phases and created several decent scoring chances for himself that went unconverted.

Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Marli Salmon, Christian Nørgaard, Eberechi Eze, Ethan Nwaneri, Noni Madueke.

Brighton (3-4-2-1)

Starting XI: Bart Verbruggen; Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk (c), Diego Coppola; Ferdi Kadioglu, Yasin Ayari, Jack Hinshelwood, Maxim De Cuyper; Brajan Gruda, Diego Gomez; Georginio Rutter.

Subs used: Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer, Danny Welbeck, Charalampos Kostoulas, Tom Watson.

Player of the Match: Bukayo Saka

Arsenal 2–1 Brighton: How It Unfolded at the Emirates Stadium

Arsenal have traditionally found Brighton challenging opponents at home in the Premier League, managing victory in just three of eight previous Emirates encounters. However, the Gunners began brightly and nearly opened the scoring within minutes when a defensive error presented Viktor Gyökeres with an excellent opportunity from the penalty area edge that proved rather tame.

Another chance quickly materialized when Bart Verbruggen made a near-post save from Bukayo Saka, though Arteta wouldn't wait long to see his side take the lead.

Following sustained Arsenal pressure, the opener arrived via Ødegaard in the 14th minute through a moment of sublime quality from the skipper. Saka created space on the right wing, finding Ødegaard, who curled his finish into Verbruggen's near bottom corner.

The Gunners maintained their dominance, with Saka generating numerous opportunities down the right that didn't quite materialize into clear chances. During one attack not involving the winger, Leandro Trossard led a counter-attack and Declan Rice saw his effort headed clear by Lewis Dunk. Mikel Merino attempted an audacious effort from the center circle but missed, before Verbruggen made an excellent save from Martín Zubimendi's backheel following a penalty box scramble.

At the half-time interval, Arsenal had accumulated 15 goal attempts—five on target—while Brighton's xG after 45 minutes registered a dismal 0.00.

Seagulls manager Fabian Hürzeler introduced two substitutes at the break hoping to spark his team, still trailing by just one goal, but Arsenal extended their lead seven minutes into the second half. The opportunity arose from a curling Rice corner following Ødegaard's blocked shot, deflected into his own net by the unlucky Rutter.

Arsenal might have secured a third when Gyökeres shot directly at Verbruggen from a tight but promising angle, only to witness Brighton immediately respond against the match flow. The visitors' goal came when Yasin Ayari's strike hit the post, with Gómez reacting fastest to convert the rebound from near the penalty spot.

Suddenly, Arsenal faced pressure, with Ayari having two additional attempts blocked and the hosts attempting to slow the tempo, resulting in Myles Lewis-Skelly receiving a booking for time-wasting with over 20 minutes remaining.

Arteta introduced fresh attacking options and Gabriel Jesus, replacing the disappointing Gyökeres, nearly made an immediate impact. Only Lewis Dunk's crucial intervention prevented the Brazilian from creating a simple finish for Saka. At the opposite end, Brighton came within a brilliant David Raya save of equalizing, the keeper tipping over from Yankuba Minteh. Mats Wieffer headed wide from the subsequent corner.

Arsenal should have secured victory within the final 10 minutes, Gabriel Martinelli the culprit when he lifted the ball over the crossbar from close range when scoring seemed easier. Home supporters appealed for a penalty in stoppage time following a slight push on Jesus as he attempted to connect with a Martinelli cross, while Dunk recovered to deny Saka in a one-on-one situation with Verbruggen.

This meant Brighton retained hope of salvaging something until the final whistle, which prompted enormous relief from everyone associated with Arsenal.

Arsenal vs. Brighton Half-Time Stats

Arsenal vs. Brighton Full Time Stats