The three points combined with Liverpool dropping points at home to Manchester United means the Gunners have now leapfrogged the Reds to the summit.
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Arsenal have yet again regained the top spot in the Premier League table after securing a crucial 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion. The three points combined with Liverpool dropping points at home to Manchester United means the Gunners have now leapfrogged the Reds to the summit and have earned a narrow one-point lead. With the action nearing the packed Christmas period, every point counts for the home side.
Mikel Arteta was understandably happy with the result, as he heaped praise on his players. “Outstanding, incredible. Big compliment to the team and to the players. I think we had an incredible performance against a top team. I think we fully deserved to win the game. I have to praise them because I know how difficult it is and what Brighton do to teams. We didn’t allow that to happen, so I’m super happy,” Arteta, quoted on Arsenal.com, said after the win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.
The manager was asked about the patience his players put on display despite having illness in the camp. “Absolutely – we had to be patient but at the same time, we had to be really determined against this team. Maybe [you can] have certain doubts – they start to open you up, they start to frustrate you and dominate with the ball. We didn’t allow that to happen today. We showed a lot of maturity and a lot of intelligence. This game against them required [us] to be really intelligent in certain areas. We’ve done that in a really good way. Regarding [illness] we have some issues in the camp. With Jorginho as well, we have another issue, so we have five or six now. We need players,” he stated.
Arteta then explained how the team needed multiple opportunities to kill the game, as he spoke about the number of chances, they created in the first half. Asked about not taking first-half chances, Arteta replied, “Yes, but if we generate more, the probability of us scoring is higher. That’s the only thing we can focus on. We have great players who can define games and who can finish actions. Today we needed too many, especially in big spaces. We needed too many situations to kill the game – and that was the fear, especially after half-time, that it would be one of those days. The moment you give something to this team, they’re going to take it.”
The Arsenal manager also went on to shower praise on Martin Odegaard’s performance. “He wanted to celebrate his beautiful birthday today in a great way – and he’s done it, with a win, with a huge performance. The way they play, the way they press you, they go man-to-man and you have to be so good, so accurate, so precise, so intelligent to do what we have done today. We’ve done it,” he explained.
Kai Havertz has been able to rediscover his past form in recent games, scoring some important goals for the team. He also scored the late second against Brighton. “His confidence is growing and he feels more secure on the field. The fact he’s scored one helped to score the second one. It’s four in seven games now and he should have scored a header today as well in a really good position. But overall, his performances, the intelligence he shows on the pitch, the aggression, how he works defensively, it’s top. Really good,” he elaborated.
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