Arsenal comfortably beat Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 at the Amex Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday, April 6.
David Raya Sets Record in Arsenal’s Win
The game started brightly with both sides getting into good areas of the pitch but failing to create clear-cut chances. Eventually, Tariq Lamptey fouled Gabriel Jesus in the box at the half-hour mark, leading to a penalty. Bukayo Saka converted the penalty, giving Arsenal a 1-0 lead, which they took into the half-time.
Kai Havertz then scored in the 62nd minute to make it 2-0. The hosts dominated possession following that but failed to break Arsenal down. Former Brighton forward Leandro Trossard then completed the scoring for the visitors in the 86th minute from a counterattack.
The win meant the Gunners have won seven of their eight Premier League games in 2024, drawing the other against Manchester City. They also kept a clean sheet, making David Raya the first Spanish goalkeeper to keep five consecutive away clean sheets in the Premier League.
They beat West Ham United 6-0, Burnley 5-0, Sheffield United 6-0, and drew 0-0 against Manchester City before beating Brighton 3-0 in their last five away games. It also takes the north London side’s overall tally to 14 clean sheets this season.
Raya, who joined Arsenal from Brentford on loan last summer has kept 12 clean sheets in 25 league games this season. He has kept 16 in 32 games across competitions. Having displaced Aaron Ramsdale as the Gunners’ No. 1, Raya is likely to move permanently to the Emirates in the summer.
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Arsenal keep up their Premier League title challenge with Brighton win
Coming into the clash against Brighton, the Gunners were second in the Premier League standings, two points behind Liverpool and one point above Manchester City. The Cityzens overtook them earlier on Saturday after beating Crystal Palace 4-1 away.
Arsenal then jumped to the top of the table after beating Brighton 3-0. However, they can drop down to the second place if Liverpool beat Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. Even a draw would allow the north London side to remain on top due to their superior goal difference. They have a goal difference of 51 while Liverpool have 42 and City have 40.
Meanwhile, Arsenal will now prepare for their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich at home on Tuesday, April 9.
Bayern notably suffered a disappointing 3-2 defeat at Heidenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday and are 16 points behind Bayer Leverkusen in the league. They will be keen to bounce back against the Gunners.