Brighton 0 – 1 Arsenal – itstargetnews.com

Arsenal capitalized on Manchester City’s mistake against Nottingham Forest to beat Brighton 1-0 to move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

Bukayo Saka’s ninth-minute shot was blocked as their title rivals were held to a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium, proving decisive for the Gunners in a tight encounter on the south coast.

Brighton manager Fabian Huerzel said after the game that “there is only one team trying to play football” and he accused Arsenal’s tactics of wasting time and David Raya had to be treated three times.

“It’s surprising,” Mikel Arteta replied.

Saka’s goal, which barely edged past Bart Verbruggen after taking a touch from Carlos Baleba, was one of only two shots on target for an Arsenal team that struggled to keep the ball but defended well.

Brighton dominated much of the game, enjoying 60% possession, but Arsenal, led by defenders Gabriel and Piero Hincapie and with William Saliba injured, could not be breached.

Brighton’s best chance came just two minutes later when David Raya passed the ball directly to Baleba, whose shot was blocked by Gabriel.

The hosts kept Arsenal trapped in their own half for long periods of time but only managed two more shots, with Raya making a fine save from Georginio Root as the home fans grew increasingly frustrated with the visitors’ waste of time.

Arsenal had a chance to draw level with Brighton when substitute Kai Havertz’s shot was saved by Verbruggen, but their slim lead meant they had to survive a tense final.

The final whistle and news of City’s draw with Forest sparked wild celebrations from the away fans, with Arsenal opening up a seven-point gap despite having played a game more.

Huzler: Only one team tried to play football

Brighton manager Fabian Hutzler Slamming Arsenal’s approach in an explosive press conference, he said: “We could have even created more chances but overall, like you said, in the end we lost so we are all disappointed with the performance.

“I loved the effort of my kids and I loved the way they played football. I think there was only one team that tried to play football today, so I was proud of how they performed.

“Let me ask a question, have you ever seen a goalkeeper go down three times in a Premier League game? No? So I don’t think we should waste too much words on that tonight.

“We should focus on ourselves, we should focus on our performance. We can’t control these things.

“I think the Premier League therefore have to find the rules and it’s none of my business. I made my point before the game and I will stick to it.”

Arteta: I love my players

arsenal manager Mikel Arteta He offered only a brief response to his opponents’ criticism, saying: “It’s surprising.”

Asked if he could expand on that comment, he said: “You just go back to previous games and you’ll find a lot of comments like that.

“I love my players. That’s the highlight. I love my players, we love our players and I love the way we compete.”

Asked if he cared about other managers’ comments, he said: “Care? Yes. It depends.” Depends on the manager? “Yes, and the comments. And the purpose of doing that.

“Obviously when you’re in the position we’re in, they want to take it away from you. That’s normal, that’s sports.

“We need to treat it normally, we need to face it the right way.”

Analysis: Reasonable complaint or diversionary strategy?

Huzler’s comments will dominate the game’s impact. He made a point of raising the time-wasting issue in his pre-match press conference, so it’s no surprise to hear him return to the topic after a fraught night that ended with the team losing.

His frustration is justified, at least to some extent. Arsenal were clearly eager to disrupt the flow of play after taking an early lead, sparking the fury of the home fans and manager, who spent the night protesting to the fourth official.

This is an ugly game. Its stop-start nature is certainly more tourist-friendly than Brighton. However, facing an Arsenal side that is clearly out of form, Huzelle may also be looking at his side’s shortcomings. They had enough possession to hurt Arsenal but failed to do so.

Their 11 shots were equivalent to just 0.8 expected goals, according to Opta, and despite their dominance on the ball and territory, Raya had no room for save after 63 minutes when Mats Wieffer headed straight at him.

Huzler successfully shaped the narrative that followed the game. But his complaints should have gone unnoticed by Arsenal fans, who chanted “We’re going to win the league” away from home. This ugly win was one worth savoring for them.

Opta stats: Lucky Arsenal?

It was Arsenal’s 10th victory by one goal in the Premier League this season and their biggest win after 30 league games since the 2011/12 season (10 games).
It wasn’t until 2003/04 that they achieved more wins by one goal (12) at this stage of the Premier League season.
Arsenal had just seven shots on goal against Brighton and only had fewer shots on goal in one game this season against Chelsea (five in the Carabao Cup in February).
In fact, the Gunners’ expected goals ratio tonight is 0.43, their lowest of any competition in the 2025/26 season.
Arsenal’s pass completion rate against Brighton tonight was only 70.9%; this is the lowest completion rate in a Premier League game since the game against Manchester City in August 2021 (67.6%).