Arsenal defeated Brighton 2-1 at home thanks to contributions from Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice.
Mikel Arteta had his fair share of issues to line his team up to face the Seagulls, but it hardly showed. The Gunners didn’t have Jurrien Timber, Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and Kai Havertz from the start. And then they lost Riccardo Calafiori for the match during warm-ups.
Up stepped Declan Rice to play as right-back and took care of business. He formed a brilliant trio down the right side with Bukayo Saka and occasional contributions from Martin Odegaard who would often join them.
That was actually their main path to goal, that led to good chances all game long. Brighton did eventually score with a lot of lucky deflections involved and clumsy defending from the hosts. They even had a few minutes of pressure in the second half, but it wouldn’t lead to anything else.
How did Arsenal beat Brighton?
Right-sided dynamics and combinations
Saka is obviously a walking advantage for any team his in, one-on-one wise. And Arteta knows how to get the best out of him.
Arsenal attacked mostly down the right to start the match and had Saka, Rice and Odegaard joining in from time to time. Brighton, however, decided to defend these actions with just three men. With the right angles, the Gunners’ No.7 would have enough space to take defenders on and get shots off.
In his first attempt, he put himself through on goal, forcing a good save from Bart Verbruggen. Odegaard and Rice changing roles with the Norwegian going wide and the Englishman in his usual midfielder role allowed for that to happen. Brighton’s Diego Gomez was noticeably lost in the defensive transition.
It didn’t take long until one of those situations led to a goal. When the Seagulls decided to outnumber Arsenal down the right, with three men against Saka and Rice, they left one unmarked. Odegaard stayed behind and relocated to a more central position, received from Saka and fired a delightful shot from long distance to put his side up 1-0.
Dabble sign-up offer: Bet £10+ & Receive £10 In Free Bets
Not signed up to Dabble yet? Here's how to claim the Bet £10+ & Receive £10 In Free Bets welcome offer:
- Sign up to Dabble through this link
- Register your account with accurate personal details
- Place your first bet of £10 or more
- Receive your £10 in free bets when your qualifying bet has setted
- Use your Free Bet on any eligible sportsbook market within 7 days
#AD 18+ 7-day free bet expiry. Stake not returned. Promotional Terms Apply. GambleAware.org
Later on, they scored the second with yet another build-up starting from the right-hand side. This time with Martin Odegaard near the centre-backs to organize the first phase. He worked with Saka before switching the play into the left and, once again, relocating to the middle to get a shot off.
A deflection gave the Gunners a corner and Georginio Rutter headed the ball into his own net.
Martin the maestro
Every time we mentioned Martin Odegaard’s name so far, he was doing something different. Starting as the centre-attacking midfielder, he had complete freedom to roam around the pitch. It was mostly down the right, Arsenal’s preferred corridor, but it varied according to which side the ball was on.
He also dropped deep near the centre-backs to organize build-ups and still joined the attack in the later phases, finishing off a lot of moves himself. In addition to all that, he also led the team out of possession, dictating when to push up and when to drop deep.
It was an overall masterclass in every single department. Not only did he score Arsenal’s first goal, but also led them in chances created and all non-defenders on the pitch in touches.
Key stats:
- 1 goal scored
- 5 chances created
- 3 tackles
- 2 shots
- 4/5 duels won
- 64 touches
Brighton’s attempt to be a tougher opposition for Arsenal
Fabian Hurzeler usually sets his Brighton side in a base 4-2-3-1, with a lot of flexibility. But this was the first time he started with a back-five.
The idea was to deny spaces for Arsenal to work with. Combat their attacking 3-2-5 shape with five men of their own at the back. Otherwise, they could have a five-on-four advantage at the last line and use switches of play to find the winger completely unmarked.
Jan Paul van Hecke played an important and curious role for this to happen. He would defend as a centre-back but often go out and play as a defensive midfielder when he had possession. Ahead of Diego Coppola and Lewis Dunk.
It mostly changed after they went down 1-0, as the Dutchman stayed back in an attempt to stretch Arsenal out with both wing-backs at the same time.
While the Gunners did struggle to break the Seagulls down when they were established in the attacking half, they still managed to manufacture space in behind. First with Gyokeres and later with Saka. Both missed good chances to score before Odegaard broke the deadlock with a long-range strike.
In the second half, things changed. Brighton showed a lot of fight and were an honorable opponent during the last 45 minutes.
| Brighton stats | First half | Second half |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 41% | 53% |
| Shots (on target) | 0 (0) | 8 (3) |
| Touches in the opp box | 2 | 17 |
Hurzeler made attacking changes, but the most impactful one was a like-for-like substitution. Yankuba Minteh replaced Brajan Gruda and showed a lot more than his counterpart.
The Seagulls managed to occupy the attacking half, create and find spaces in what usually is the most solid defence in world football. They ultimately fell short, but gave Arsenal a challenge they aren’t used to seeing.