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Arsenal’s ascent to the Premier League summit continued with a commanding 3-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at the AMEX Stadium, marking their first league double over the Seagulls since the 2020/21 campaign. View pictures in App save up to 80% data.
The Gunners wasted no time asserting their dominance, with Gabriel Magalhães coming close to breaking the deadlock within two minutes, narrowly missing Martin Ødegaard’s free-kick delivery with a header. Despite a brief scare from Julio Enciso for Brighton, who squandered a promising opportunity, Arsenal maintained control of the early exchanges. Bukayo Saka, back in action, showcased his threat by curling wide before setting up Gabriel Jesus, who was thwarted by a solid save from Bart Verbruggen.
The breakthrough came from the dynamic duo as Jesus was brought down by Tariq Lamptey in the box, earning Arsenal a penalty expertly dispatched by Saka, notching up his 14th league goal of the season. David Raya’s heroics preserved the Gunners’ lead heading into halftime, denying Enciso’s long-range effort with an acrobatic save.
Brighton showed signs of resurgence early in the second half, but Arsenal extinguished any hopes of a comeback. Jesus missed a golden opportunity before Kai Havertz doubled the visitors’ advantage, finishing off Jorginho’s assist with aplomb. Former Brighton player Leandro Trossard, greeted with jeers from the home fans, made an impact off the bench, eventually sealing Arsenal’s victory with a well-taken chip over Verbruggen.
The Gunners’ defensive resilience was on display once again as they secured a fifth consecutive clean sheet on the road in the Premier League, simultaneously ending Brighton’s impressive 12-match unbeaten streak at home in the competition. Mikel Arteta’s side now temporarily lead the title race, leaving Brighton trailing by five points in the race for a top-seven finish, after enduring their third consecutive winless outing. View pictures in App save up to 80% data.
Elsewhere, Newcastle United emerged victorious in a hard-fought battle against Fulham, securing a 1-0 win in a tightly contested Premier League encounter. The Magpies displayed their dominance over the Cottagers once again, claiming their third head-to-head victory of the season without conceding a goal.
Despite Fulham’s early attacking intent, with Antonee Robinson and Rodrigo Muniz testing the Newcastle defense, they failed to convert their dominance into a goal. Marco Silva’s side continued to press forward, with Andreas Pereira and Willian also coming close to breaking the deadlock.
Newcastle faced a scare when goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka sustained an injury but showed resilience as they weathered Fulham’s offensive onslaught. Anthony Gordon provided moments of threat for the Magpies, linking up with Alexander Isak, but failed to find the breakthrough before the halftime whistle.
The second half saw both teams pushing for a decisive goal, with Gordon and João Palhinha trying their luck from range. Pereira forced a brilliant save from Dúbravka, while Sean Longstaff’s effort was blocked by Fulham’s defense.
It appeared that Newcastle had taken the lead through Fabian Schär, only for the goal to be ruled out after a VAR check for a foul on Calvin Bassey. However, they finally found the breakthrough as Bruno Guimarães capitalized on a defensive error by Fulham to score the decisive goal.
Despite facing intense pressure from Fulham in the closing stages, Newcastle’s resolute defense held firm to secure the victory.
