Arsenal secured a 2-0 victory over Brighton, propelling them to the top of the Premier League ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Manchester United.

Arsenal secure victory over Brighton to top Premier League

On Sunday afternoon, Arsenal defeated Brighton 2-0, climbing to the top of the Premier League table. Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring in the second half with a header from Bukayo Saka‘s corner.

Later, Kai Havertz added a second after Arsenal had missed a host of chances, securing Arsenal’s lead before Liverpool’s match against Manchester United.

Arsenal and Brighton both enjoyed 50% ball possession, even though it felt like Arsenal dominated it.

Arsenal, however, had the upper hand in creating scoring opportunities by a distance. They led in expected goals (xG) with 2.26 compared to Brighton’s 0.69. Better finishing would have seen Arsenal run out comfortable winners.

The attacking intent from Arsenal was clear from their 26 total shots, but only nine of these were on target, and few of those required great saves.

In contrast, Brighton managed just six shots, with only one hitting the target. This disparity was further underlined in the creation of big chances, where Arsenal had three (although it felt like far more), but missed one of them, while Brighton created just one big chance.

Pass accuracy was a strong point for both teams. Arsenal completed 464 passes at a 90% accuracy rate. Brighton were close behind, with 477 accurate passes and an 89% success rate.

This game also marked the first time Brighton & Hove Albion failed to score in the league this season.