Arsenal moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League with a deserved victory over Brighton in a hugely entertaining match on New Year's Eve.
The Gunners took advantage of Manchester City's surprise draw against struggling Everton earlier on Saturday to increase their buffer at the top of the table. Bukayo Saka opened the scoring inside two minutes with a composed touch and finish and Mikel Arteta's side never looked back on the south coast.
The outstanding Martin Odegaard added a second goal before half-time on the second phase from a corner and it appeared to be game over soon after the second half kicked off, with Eddie Nketiah tapping in a rebound after Gabriel Martinelli stung the palms of Robert Sanchez.
Kaoru Mitoma hit back with a cool finish to cap off a flowing Brighton move and make it 3-1, but Martinelli soon raced onto Odegaard's sublime pass to poke in Arsenal's fourth on the counter-attack.
Evan Ferguson outmuscled William Saliba to beat Aaron Ramsdale from a long ball to give Brighton a glimmer at 4-2. A second Mitoma goal was then ruled out for offside as Arsenal survived a brief scare to see out the game to seal the crucial three points. Here are Mirror Football's talking points from the match.
Fast start
The Gunners came into the match with some extra incentive following Manchester City ’s 1-1 draw against Everton and wasted no time in making their mark. It took them just one minute and six seconds to find the back of the net courtesy of Saka.
The goal was Arsenal's fastest in the Premier League since Theo Walcott scored against QPR in May 2013. It was Saka’s sixth league goal of the season and ensured that Arsenal maintained their record of scoring in every league game this season. It was a perfect start, which gave Mikel Arteta’s side a platform to build on.
Awesome Odegaard
There was a time when Arteta’s decision to hand Odegaard the captain’s armband was being quietly questioned. Those days are now long gone, with Odegaard looking every bit the player he was hyped to be back when Real Madrid won the race to sign him as a teenager.
Odegaard now has seven goals and six assists in 15 Premier League games this season – and his contributions have come at crucial times. Having netted twice in the 2-0 win at Wolves in November, the Norwegian now has three goals in two away games.
While his goal might have been fortunate, with his bouncing finish going over a crowded box, there were plenty of other moments that displayed Odegaard’s genius. His drag-back and nutmegs on Lewis Dunk to play in Martinelli in the first half was delicious and his first-time through-ball for Martinelli's goal was visionary.
Nketiah steps up
The injury to Gabriel Jesus at the World Cup could have been a major blow to Arsenal's chances of winning the Premier League for the first time since 2003/04. But the early signs are that Arteta's team have the depth to maintain their early-season form.
Nketiah has been made to wait this season after deciding to stay at Arsenal and sign a new contract in the summer, but he is taking his chance now. It is easy to forget now that Jesus had gone 11 games without a goal across all competitions for Arsenal before going to Qatar with Brazil.
Having netted against Brighton in November, his replacement has now scored in each of his past three games. Nketiah has a very creditable five goals in nine starts in all competitions and has shown his poacher instincts. After scoring a wonderful goal against West Ham on Boxing Day, the 23-year-old gobbled up a rebound to make the game safe versus Brighton.
Memorable year despite defeat
They may have lost, but Brighton fans can still reflect on a hugely memorable year as they go into 2023. The Seagulls finished ninth in the Premier League in May and finish the year one place better, in eighth, despite losing to the league's best side on New Year's Eve.
The decision-makers at Brighton deserve a lot of credit for their current position. Losing Graham Potter to Chelsea in September could easily have derailed their season, but that has been far from the case, with Roberto De Zerbi fitting in perfectly to the team's style. Seagulls fans only need look at bottom side Southampton for evidence of how difficult managerial changes can be.
Brighton's first goal here showed off the pass-and-move playing style, with Pascal Gross playing in Mitoma with a lovely reverse-pass before the Japanese midfielder tucked the ball away with aplomb. Ferguson then took advantage of some hesitant defending from Saliba to grab his first Premier League goal.
They didn't count for anything on this occasion, but Brighton have no reason to be dispirited.
Title charge is for real
The two second-half goals for Brighton, and particularly the nature of the second, did take some of the gloss off the victory for Arsenal. But they should not dwell on it.
An away game at Brighton is a tough assignment. They had lost on their previous two visits to the AMEX, in April and November in the Premier League and Carabao Cup respectively, and needed to turn that form around.
Much of Arsenal's success this season stems from their consistency. Arteta has been able to pick very similar sides week after week, with the relative youth of the star players key to that.
There is still an awful long way to go, but a seven-point leading going into the New Year is quite the advantage.
