Arsenal moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table after edging Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 on Wednesday night while rivals Manchester City surprisingly dropped points at home.
A first-half strike from Bukayo Saka proved decisive at the American Express Stadium, sealing a massive three points in the title race with eight matches remaining.
Speaking after the match, Saka admitted the squad sensed something had happened elsewhere.
“This feels like a massive win. Obviously, on the pitch, we didn’t know the [Man City] score, but we heard the fans celebrating out of nowhere, so I kind of knew in my head something went well in the other game — but we focused on here and got the result.”
Saka, making his 300th first-team appearance, gave Arsenal the perfect start inside 10 minutes.
After surviving an early scare when David Raya’s misplaced pass nearly gifted Brighton the opener, the visitors struck at the other end. Jurrien Timber found Saka in space on the right, and the England international cut inside before firing a low shot that deflected off Carlos Baleba and slipped through goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen’s legs.
It was Saka’s 79th goal for the club, adding to his 69 assists in a remarkable milestone outing.
Brighton responded strongly after falling behind, pressing aggressively and forcing Arsenal onto the back foot for large spells.
Gabriel produced a crucial goal-line clearance early on, while also blocking a dangerous effort from Kaoru Mitoma as the hosts pushed for an equaliser.
Arsenal struggled to build on their early momentum and failed to register another shot before half-time. After the break, Mikel Arteta introduced Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard to inject energy into the attack.
Havertz came close late on after breaking the offside trap, but his near-post effort was parried away.
Despite Brighton’s pressure and a tense seven minutes of stoppage time, Arsenal held firm to secure a vital away victory.
The result, coupled with Manchester City’s dropped points, although they have one game in hand but it gives the Gunners breathing room at the summit as the title race intensifies.
