Arsenal Snaps Up a Precious 3 Points: Ødegaard Leads, Brighton Falls Short
27 December 2025
Arsenal stay top after gritty win over Brighton
The Arsenal captain, Martin Ødegaard, expressed happiness with the victory over Brighton that sent them back to the top of the Premier League.
Arsenal beat Brighton 2-1 on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium, in the 18th round of the Premier League.
Arsenal's two goals came from Ødegaard and Giorginio Rotter, an own goal, in the 14th and 52nd minutes.
Brighton pulled one back through Diego Gomes in the 64th minute.
Ødegaard told Sky Sports after the match: It was a tough game in its closing stages, but I think we played well and controlled the match from the start, although they gained momentum at the end; we still earned three valuable points.
He added: I think we played very well overall, controlled the play, but we could have performed better and prevented them from scoring that way.
He continued: They regained the initiative after their goal and gained confidence, but we defended well too.
Regarding David Raya's save, he said: I think that was the only real chance they had apart from the goal; it was a brilliant save.
On scoring the opener, he said: I was waiting for this moment; I have worked hard to improve finishing in training, so I am happy.
He concluded: The last few matches have been tight, but we must win in different ways, keep going, keep building, and keep winning.
The victory took Arsenal to 42 points, returning them to the top after Manchester City’s win over Nottingham Forest.
Brighton remained on 24 points in 11th place.
Punchline 1: Arsenal’s hitting power was so precise, even the celebrations filed a complaint for excessive efficiency. Punchline 2: If football were a sniper, Arsenal just hit the bullseye twice and asked for a third round—spoiler: the defense had the reload ready.
