Arsenal return to Premier League summit after edgy victory over Brighton

Arsenal moved back to the top of the Premier League table with a nervy 2-1 win against Brighton at the Emirates.

Mikel Arteta’s side started their penultimate match of the year a point back from Manchester City but they were ahead after just 14 minutes when Martin Odegaard fired home his first goal of the season.

Brighton’s Georginio Rutter then headed Declan Rice’s corner into his own net after 52 minutes only for the visitors to haul themselves back into the contest when Diego Gomez lashed home shortly after the hour mark.

Three Premier League wins in a row and back on top - a good day's work for @Arsenal pic.twitter.com/qwToBjuZnm

— Premier League (@premierleague) December 27, 2025

David Raya produced a fine diving save to deny Yankuba Minteh with 15 minutes left in what could prove a pivotal stop in Arsenal’s bid for a first league title in two decades.

The win takes Arsenal two points clear of City before they round of the calendar year with a fixture at home to third-placed Aston Villa on Tuesday. Brighton have taken just two points from a possible 15 and have slipped to 12th.

On a sour note for Arteta, his defensive problems mounted up prior to kick-off when Riccardo Calafiori sustained an injury in the warm-up.

Both Jurrien Timber and Ben White were absent here – with Rice largely impressing as an emergency right-back – while Cristhian Mosquera is also out.

Gabriel, who has been sidelined since November 8, did return as a second-half substitute.

After City won the lunchtime kick-off at Nottingham Forest, the pressure was on a side who have finished runners-up in the league for the past three seasons.

However, they started well and Viktor Gyokeres should have done better when he side-footed at Bart Verbruggen