We moved to the top of the Premier League after claiming our 28th point from the last 30 available against Brighton & Hove Albion, courtesy of an emphatic 3-0 win against the Seagulls.
To find out how we had so much success on the south coast, Adrian Clarke has rewatched the footage and delved through the stats to find five key factors that you might not have spotted.
Stunning stats
Roberto De Zerbi’s Seagulls hadn’t lost at home since August, but we blew them away with an outstanding team performance. Playing through their press (which was conservative by their standards) with ease, our in-form side constantly swept forward to carve out an extraordinary number of quality opportunities.
No visiting side had created seven big chances at the Amex Stadium since the Italian took charge, until Saturday evening. We also racked up the highest XG of any visiting team at their ground during the Italian’s successful tenure, which began in October 2022.
| Brighton | arsenal | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 0 | 3 |
| XG | 0.53 | 3.39 |
| Big chances | 0 | 7 |
| Touches in opp box | 21 | 51 |
| Distance covered km | 106.84 | 112.98 |
Industry was once again at the heart of a dominant display. Comprehensively outworking our opponents, Mikel Arteta’s players ran over 6km further than the hosts, and that high level of physical effort helped us shut off their goal threat. In possession we also pushed ourselves to constantly hurt the Seagulls, enjoying 30 more touches inside their box than they managed at the other end.
Jorgi & Kai combine
Former Chelsea teammates Jorginho and Kai Havertz know each other’s games inside out, and the strong connection they share was very evident in Sussex. Our experienced midfielder instinctively has a feel for the type of runs the German makes, and he released our on-song striker into space on several occasions.
These two incisive, early forward passes to Havertz helped spark attacks that ended with an effort on goal:
Jorginho also made a terrific burst into the box following a turnover he had instigated, and from that run he assisted our crucial second goal. Havertz’s movement was top-notch. His first movement was a decoy in front of his marker, before quickly looping the all-important secondary run around the back of Lewis Dunk.
Balance in attack
While Havertz was undoubtedly deployed as our centre forward in this win, Gabriel Jesus undertook a fine job for us on the left-hand side, and the pair of them found a nice balance between themselves.
The German linked play centrally and often to the left of centre, but he enjoyed far more attacking success with runs to the right. Rather than looking to interchange with the Brazilian, our number 29 left space for Jesus (and later Leandro Trossard) to occupy in advanced areas down the left flank.
From one such run down that wing, Jesus won the penalty that provided us with an early lead. Comparing their chalkboards for shots and passes, you can how they found equilibrium in the domains they each targeted:
In addition, it’s also important to recognise that Havertz made more off-the-ball runs than any other Arsenal player (25) at the Amex. His mobility is a huge asset to the team.
| Off the ball runs v Brighton | |
|---|---|
| Kai Havertz | 25 |
| Ben White | 19 |
| Bukayo Saka | 14 |
| Declan Rice | 13 |
| Martin Odegaard | 13 |
The yellow wall
Our desire to maintain a clean sheet mentality shone through brightly, and this was summed up perfectly when Gabriel and his teammates collectively celebrated a blocked shot from Joao Pedro late on in the match.
Dropping into a 4-4-2 out of possession, our off-the-ball work was incredibly diligent and determined. Every time the Seagulls broke into our half, Arteta’s players regrouped quickly to get back behind the ball and retrieve possession.
This brilliant recovery from our midfield players typified the effort levels, and how keen individuals were to cover a teammate’s back. Here, Carlos Balepa took the ball past Declan Rice on the edge of his own box to beat a fully committed Arsenal press, but yellow shirts sprinted back over 50 yards with fierce desire to put him under pressure.
Tucking in from the right, substitute Gabriel Martinelli eventually stopped the 20-year-old in his tracks, with the Brighton man surrounded by yellow shirts.
The way we blocked up the central spine was also seriously impressive. Each member of our three-man midfield was disciplined, with Havertz also consistently dropping back to lend a hand.
To limit Brighton to just two shots on target, we defended our own box well but we were also proactive in our approach, stepping forward to make interceptions. This chalkboard represents the defensive contributions of Martin Odegaard, Rice and Jorginho, showing how they regained the ball for the team, all over the field:
Bench power
Trossard and Martinelli came off the bench to make useful contributions to this victory. While the Brazilian was more of a defensive presence, winning all three of his tackles, the scorer of our final goal was a real livewire inside the final third.
Against his former club Trossard had two fabulous attempts, one from a long gliding run, and the other when he was put through by Havertz for a 1v1 from a turnover he instigated. His ice-cold finish put the seal on a comprehensive, statement win.
Have a go at your analysis by digging deeper into the numbers or building your own chalkboard with our revamped Stats Centre.
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