Arsenal showed they don’t always have to rely on set-pieces as Bukayo Saka sealed a 1-0 win against Brighton that moved the Premier League leaders a step closer to the title yesterday.
Saka, who is 24 years old, celebrated becoming the fourth youngest player to play 300 games for Arsenal with a shot that hit the post and went in, giving Arsenal a huge win at the Amex Stadium, according to AFP.
Mikel Arteta’s team didn’t play very well for lengthy stretches, but their hard work and solid defense helped them build a seven-point advantage over second-place Manchester City.
Arsenal now has the title in their hands after City’s unexpected 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
City has one more game than Arsenal and will host the leaders in April, but the Gunners have won three league games in a row to put to rest any doubts that they don’t have the right mindset to handle the stress of the title battle.
Arsenal has handled the ups and downs of this season more maturely than in the past, when they lost big leads to give City the title in 2023 and 2024. They are now very close to winning their first English title since 2004.
Arsenal didn’t get many style points for their performance on the south coast, and this isn’t the first time this season.
But the team that is chasing the quadruple has won five and drawn two of its previous seven league games. It has also made it to the Champions League last 16, the League Cup final, and the FA Cup fifth round.
David Raya, the Arsenal goalkeeper, almost gave Brighton a goal in the opening three minutes when he sent the ball to Carlos Baleba, whose lob from the edge of the box was cleared by Gabriel Magalhaes before it could cross the line.
Arsenal woke up after that close call and got lucky to take the lead in the ninth minute.
Saka got the ball on the right side and moved it to the edge of the box for a hard shot that hit Baleba and somehow got between Bart Verbruggen’s knees.
This was only Saka’s second goal in his last 19 outings in all competitions.
Arsenal digs deep
This week, Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler said that Arsenal took too long with their set pieces. When Arsenal took too long with a throw-in, he swiftly complained to the fourth official.
Arteta didn’t like Hurzeler’s protest, and the two managers got into a fight on the touchline.
After Arsenal beat Chelsea on Sunday, there was a lot of talk regarding their tactics because both of their goals came from corners.
The Gunners have now scored 16 goals from corners in 2025-26, which ties the Premier League record for a single season. They have 19 goals in total from dead balls.
Arteta praised Arsenal’s usage of set plays, ignoring allegations that they would be the “ugliest” champions ever if they won the league. He said their triumph over Chelsea was “beautiful.”
A messy first half with only two shots from the boring leads would not have won over Arsenal’s critics.
Brighton pushed hard for an equalizer after the break, when Arsenal were not at their best.
Georginio Rutter almost tied the game for Brighton with a half-volley that Raya had to make a great save on.
Yankuba Minteh drove into the Arsenal box and took a shot that went just wide. Jack Hinshelwood then wasted a chance by heading the ball over from six yards.
Arsenal didn’t have France defender William Saliba because he hurt his ankle, but they fought hard to deny Brighton from scoring on a night that could have been very important.
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