Gunners down the Seagulls in a six-goal thriller at The Amex

After defeating Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2 at the AMEX Stadium, Arsenal entered the new year seven points clear atop the Premier League (PL). The Gunners are currently unbeaten in all 10 of their league games as they attempt to overcome a 19-year championship drought.

The momentum was firmly on Mikel Arteta's team as they finished first on Christmas Day for the first time in fifteen years. Bukayo Saka immediately responded to a rebound and stabbed in the opening goal to register the team's earliest away PL goal since May 2013 as the visitors showed no signs of slowing down as they stormed out of the gates.

The Gunners’ lead would be doubled before the interval by virtue of Martin Ødegaard’s brilliance, as the captain fired his effort home from just inside the area after Brighton failed to adequately clear their lines. A third successive Brighton win over the Gunners across all competitions looked ever-more unlikely by the minute, as Arsenal entered the second half in the ascendancy. Immediately after the restart, Eddie Nketiah found himself on the end of a rebound following some brilliant team play on the left wing, and the forward capitalised to steer home, with Arsenal striking within the first two minutes of a half for the second time on the night.

Roberto de Zerbi's team never wavered in their resolve or desire, and Kaoru Mitoma's apparent consolation goal shortly after the hour mark was proof of that. Arsenal restored their three-goal cushion moments later after Gabriel Martinelli sprinted behind and fired a low shot that bubbled in through Robert Sanchez.

But the Seagulls simply did not back down and kept fighting. With his first Premier League goal, 18-year-old Evan Ferguson again cut the deficit, tricking William Saliba into a mistake before putting the ball past Aaron Ramsdale. Mitoma scored again in the closing minutes, giving Arsenal additional cause for concern, but a VAR review revealed the Japan international was offside. As the Gunners finished 2022 with a fifth straight league victory, that would turn out to be Brighton's final act of resistance.