Arsenal stretched its Premier League result in seven factors with a 4-2 win at Brighton capped by a well-worked breakaway purpose from Gabriel Martinelli.
Targets from Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Eddie Nketiah had Arsenal 3-0 up by the forty seventh minute and seemingly cruising to a simple win, however Kaoru Mitoma stored Brighton within the sport with a purpose 25 minutes from time.
Odegaard then supplied a chic throughball for Martinelli to race half the size of the sphere and poke in a fourth to revive the three-goal benefit.
Brighton substitute Evan Ferguson claimed his first Premier League purpose within the 77th and Mitoma thought he had arrange a tense end with an 89th-minute strike, but it surely was disallowed for offside.
Regardless of an unnecessarily nervy finish, the win meant Arsenal took full benefit of second-place Metropolis’s slip-up earlier because the defending champion was held to a 1-1 draw at house in opposition to Everton. Third-place Newcastle, in the meantime, noticed its six-game profitable streak finish with a 0-0 draw in opposition to Leeds.
“It is nonetheless a protracted, future to go,” Arsenal supervisor Mikel Arteta stated of the title race. “My pleasure comes once I go within the dressing room and the gamers are speaking about what they need to have completed higher right now. And that implies that they know that we will nonetheless play higher and be higher.”
Brighton had received three of its final 4 however Saka put the guests forward after just a bit greater than a minute when he reacted shortly to manage a deflected shot from Martinelli earlier than sidefooting into the online.
Odegaard was as soon as once more Arsenal’s foremost orchestrator in midfield and almost arrange Martinelli for a second with some outstanding footwork within the space however ended up doubling the lead himself within the thirty ninth. The ball fell to the Norway worldwide within the space after a nook and, whereas he scuffed his shot into the bottom, it bounced completely to sail into the online.
Nketiah then seemingly put the end result past doubt simply after the restart when he was available to ship in a rebound after one other shot from Martinelli, making it two targets in two begins for the Arsenal academy product within the absence of injured striker Gabriel Jesus.
Brighton refused to give up, although, and Mitoma stayed simply onside to gather a go within the space and slot a shot previous Aaron Ramsdale to provide the hosts some life.
All of the sudden Brighton was pouring ahead, however Odegaard made them pay with a wonderfully weighted first-touch go that set Martinelli clear on the counter. The Brazilian outpaced Tariq Lamptey from midway earlier than ending low underneath Robert Sanchez for the fourth.
Arteta exuberantly celebrated the purpose on the touchline, however there was nonetheless loads of drama for him to endure.
Poor defending from William Saliba allowed 18-year-old striker Ferguson to sneak in and poke a milestone purpose via the legs of Ramsdale.
The Gunners then seemed to be in actual hazard of throwing away two factors when Mitoma diverted his second of the sport into the underside proper nook.
However the jubilant ambiance was swiftly quelled by VAR intervention earlier than the guests navigated six minutes of added time to tighten their stranglehold on first place.