Boxing Day

Emirates Stadium, London

Arsenal has been unbeaten in the last six Boxing day fixtures. Against a Brighton side searching for rhythm under Fabian Hürzeler, Arsenal seemed comfortable in its own patterns.

The opening moments set the tone. A clipped ball from Leandro Trossard sent Viktor Gyökeres through inside two minutes, the striker muscling past Lewis Dunk before finding Bart Verbruggen rather than the corner. It was an early warning. Bukayo Saka followed soon after, accelerating beyond Maxim De Cuyper and forcing the Brighton goalkeeper into another sharp save from a tight angle.

The breakthrough arrived on 14 minutes and carried the imprint of Arsenal’s axis. Saka received wide on the right, drew the defence, and fed Martin Ødegaard into space on the edge of the box. The captain needed no invitation. He drove the ball low and true beyond Verbruggen, his first goal since the final act of last season, greeted by a familiar chorus urging him to shoot. He listened.

From there, Arsenal tightened their grip. Declan Rice, operating in a more orthodox wide defensive role following a late warm-up injury to Riccardo Calafiori, was disciplined and authoritative. Rather than inverting into midfield, Rice patrolled the channel, sweeping up with clean, assertive tackles and offering Saka constant support. Brighton struggled to escape. Saka dominated his flank, repeatedly found by Ødegaard, finishing the half with seven shots, sixteen touches in the box and five dribbles attempted— volume and menace.

Arsenal reached the interval 1–0 ahead, having recorded fifteen attempts, and soon extended their lead. Control seemed complete.

Brighton’s response came unexpectedly. Diego Gómez struck brilliantly on 64 minutes, and suddenly the contest sharpened. It was then that David Raya, making his 150th Premier League appearance, imposed himself. First, a fingertip save denied Yankuba Minteh. Then, moments later, Raya produced a reflex stop of extraordinary quality to claw away a curling effort destined for the top corner.

That intervention steadied Arsenal. Saka almost sealed it late on, sliding a cross for Gabriel Martinelli, but the miss mattered little. Arsenal moved on with momentum intact, their spine—Rice, Ødegaard, Saka and Raya—once again defining the afternoon.

Arsenal 2 – 1 Brighton & Hove Albion

 (M. Odegaard 14’, G. Rutter 52’OG, D. Gómez 64’)