London: Arsenal beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 at home on Sunday with second-half goals from Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, as the north London side provisionally moved back to the top of the Premier League standings.
Victory moved Arsenal a point clear of Aston Villa, who moved up to second on 38 points. Third-placed Liverpool are a point further behind ahead of their game against rivals Manchester United later on Sunday.
Brighton had won on their last three trips to Emirates Stadium in all competitions, but all the first half action was in their box as Arsenal pressed forward with waves of attacks.
The Seagulls did not have a single shot in the first half as they weathered the storm, with keeper Bart Verbruggen standing strong.
Arsenal were also guilty of not taking their chances, with Gabriel Martinelli coming closest with a shot that went just over as the two teams went into the break at 0-0.
But Brighton's resistance ended eight minutes into the second half when defender Jan Paul van Hecke accidentally flicked a corner kick into the path of the unmarked Jesus at the far post, and the Brazilian striker headed home.
Arsenal were not content to sit on a one-goal lead and continued to pepper the Brighton goal with shots. Skipper Martin Odegaard, playing on his 25th birthday, had a shot palmed away while Havertz saw his header fly over.
Brighton had looked passive all game but they did have a golden chance to equalise in the 82nd minute when Kaoru Mitoma slipped past his marker and crossed the ball into the box, only for Pascal Gross to shoot wide.
The Gunners sealed the three points with a counterattack in the 87th minute when substitute Eddie Nketiah put Havertz through on goal and the German forward rifled into the bottom corner.
Published 17 December 2023, 17:15 IST