In a commanding performance at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal secured a 2-0 victory against Brighton & Hove Albion, propelling them to the summit of the Premier League.

Arsenal's German midfielder #29 Kai Havertz celebrates scoring the team's second goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium in London on December 17, 2023. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s German midfielder #29 Kai Havertz celebrates scoring the team’s second goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium in London on December 17, 2023. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Arsenal triumphed 2-0 over Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, climbing to the top of the Premier League. Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz scored in a match that saw Arsenal dominate.

The game started with Arsenal in control, keeping Brighton from having any shots on goal in the first half. Despite creating several chances, Arsenal couldn’t find the net, with Bukayo Saka and Martin Ødegaard coming close.

The breakthrough came in the 53rd minute when Jesus headed in from a corner. Brighton’s first shot came only after 61 minutes, a header from Jack Hinshelwood, easily saved by David Raya.

Havertz doubled Arsenal’s lead in the 87th minute, converting a through-ball from Eddie Nketiah. Emile Smith Rowe also had a chance to score, but his effort was saved.

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LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 17: Kai Havertz of Arsenal celebrates after scoring their team's second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Emirates Stadium on December 17, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 17: Kai Havertz of Arsenal celebrates after scoring their team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Emirates Stadium on December 17, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

The win extended Arsenal’s unbeaten home run to 13 matches and positioned them at the top of the league ahead of Liverpool’s match against Manchester United.

After the game, Kai Havertz spoke to the media about his rising confidence that has seen him net fou goals in the last seven games.

“Your confidence always goes high when you score and contribute,” he said. “That’s the same with me, I’m happy and now it’s about being consistent with it, regularly week-by-week, and trying to keep that form going.

“It was a tough game [against] a good team, I think we should have scored some goals in the first half, but we talked about some things at half-time and made it a bit better.

“We always do some adjustments of course, but he said we need to keep on going, score a goal and get a good feeling out there. We also started the second half very well, had a couple of chances and sometimes set-pieces are so important, scored from it and sometimes it opens the door in a game. Today it did, and we are all very delighted.

“It’s always nice to see when you’re top, but it’s too early to talk about this,” he added. “We need to look at it game-by-game. Next week is another tough game, we’re going to need to prepare well for it, and hopefully win and enjoy the Christmas break.”

Arsenal’s next fixtures include a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool and a home game against West Ham United, marking their final home match of 2023.

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