Brighton beat Arsenal 3:0 at the American Express Community Stadium on Saturday in the fifth round of the Premier League. Pascal Groß opened the scoring in the thirty-first minute and Charalampos Kostoulas added a second just before half-time. Chema Andrés finished the job in the fifty-seventh minute and the hosts saw it out from there. We had backed Arsenal to win but the match took a different turn, and Brighton's efficiency in front of goal was what broke the forecast.
Groß's opener came after Brighton camped in the final third for long spells. Kostoulas doubled the lead in the forty-fifth minute with a shot that beat Raya. Kadıoğlu picked up a yellow card in stoppage time before the break. Arsenal were camped in the final third for long spells but couldn't find the same rhythm, and by then they were chasing the game.
Bríllo Guimarães and Jurriën Timber came on together in the sixtieth minute. Martin Ødegaard and Christos Tzolis were paired in the seventy-third. Bukayo Saka replaced one of the defenders in the eighty-first and Chema Andrés was withdrawn in the eighty-fifth. Diego Gomez and Pascal Struijk were the last pair to go off in the eighty-sixth. Arsenal turned to the kids but the damage was done.
Brighton recorded five shots on target with three goals, while Arsenal managed only two shots on target from nine attempts. The visitors had 60 per cent possession but their expected goals of 1.47 didn't translate. Brighton's 1.33 xG produced three times as many goals. To be fair, Arsenal's shots were mostly from outside the box and Brighton were more clinical inside the area.
The result moves Brighton into third place on ten points from five games, while Arsenal remain in second on twelve points. Brighton beat Manchester United 3:2 and Coventry 5:0 before this, and Arsenal had won four of their five. The gap stays at two points but Brighton now have a game in hand. The history between them adds an edge to what comes next.
