Goals: Arsenal: Monreal 17, Iwobi 56.
Man of the Match/Goat of the Game: Alexis Sanchez. While he didn’t score, he was the most motivated and dominant player, particularly during one fifteen minute spell in the second half. His magic back heel set up the second and decisive goal.
Referee Rating: Kevin Friend 5. No friend of Arsenal. There were no poor decisions, other than some poor calls at the goal line, but Friend’s anal argument with Xhaka over the placement of a ball for a free-kick revealed him to be a stickler of the worst kind.
Manager Rating: Wenger 6. The squad selection was good, the substitutions did okay, and the team looked confident.
Arsenal performance: A comprehensive and dominant display over Brighton, who parked the bus early and made it difficult for Arsenal to penetrate. Brighton had a couple of decent spells and had one terrific shot smash off the upright, which could have made this a tougher match. In the end, Arsenal move up in the table and the defence claims another clean sheet.
Conclusion: Unfortunately, this decent run of results will be interrupted by another international break. The break will allow the likes of Ozil, Coquelin, and Welbeck to recover and be ready for a key batch of upcoming games.
Player Ratings:
Cech 7: Didn’t have to make any great saves (although he was well beaten on March’s drive against the post), but he made some key punches and interceptions against Brighton’s aerial game.
Mustafi 7: Untroubled for most of the game, he did look flat-footed and slow when Murray beat him to a late cross, which he fortunately headed wide.
Holding 7: Easily his best game of the season. No big giveaways and he looked comfortable throughout.
Monreal 8: A terrific goal, hit with his weaker right foot, which makes it all the more impressive. The goal came after a goal mouth scramble following a corner. Also looked to be our safest defensive player.
Ramsey 8: Spent much of the day trying to get in the box at the right time and things didn’t quite work out for him. He should have scored on the breakaway before halftime, but he hit Kolasinac’s cross low and at Ryan, Brighton’s keeper.
Xhaka 7: He was solid and efficient and he kept the midfield motor running.
Bellerin 8: Another strong match from Hector, who attacked frequently. One or two of his crosses could’ve been a little better.
Kolasinac 8: He had a fine match attacking and he came close to scoring with a thunderous header off a corner. Defensively, he was a little sloppy giving away a dangerous free-kick early in the match.
Iwobi 8: He scored his first goal of the season, a spectacular shot following Sanchez’s audacious back heel. He had several other chances to score, but he wasn’t able to generate any power and the keeper had easy saves to make. Iwobi did a decent job of dribbling, passing, and keeping possession.
Lacazette 7: He smashed an early half volley off the upright, but that would be the closest he’d come to scoring. His best chance came after a Brighton turnover, but his shot was weak and Ryan saved. He had two other good chances, but defenders managed to block them.
Sanchez 8: There were a couple of giveaways and he often wandered out of position and into midfield to become the playmaker. However, Sanchez was a constant headache for Brighton and a number of fine moves almost came off. In the end his back heel set up Iwobi and the game was won.
Substitutes:
Walcott n/a: He had a decent chance to score, but he passed it. Surprise!
Giroud n/a: Not on that long, but he had a half chance to score from a header.
Elneny n/a: Added some defensive energy to the midfield late in the match.