ARSENAL are hosting Brighton RIGHT NOW in another must-win Premier League match.
With Manchester City beating Everton earlier today, the Gunners head into the game four points behind with only two matches left.
But all hope is not lost yet after Martin Odegaard’s masterclass helped Arsenal keep their title hopes alive by inspiring the North London outfit to a gruelling 2-0 win at Newcastle.
And they’ll be itching to capitalise on a wounded Brighton side, who were recently thrashed 5-1 by relegation-threatened Everton.
- Kick-off: 4.30pm
- TV channel/ live stream: Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League
- Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; White, Kiwior, Gabriel, Tierney; Jorginho, Odegaard, Xhaka; Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli
- Brighton XI: Steele, Estupinan, Colwill, Gross, Dunk, Caicedo, Mac Allister, Enciso, Mitoma, Gilmour, Ferguson
BETTING SPECIAL – BEST NO DEPOSIT CASINO OFFERS
Follow ALL of the latest updates below…
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
37. Mitoma has switched to the left and it immediately pays dividends.
He turns Ben White inside out and gets to the byline to cross.
Enciso is at the back post, leaning back, and puts the ball well over the crossbar.
Chance.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
35. Jorginho wins the ball back in the corner and goes to ground as soon as he feels contact on him, winning the home side a free kick.
Estupinan is shown the first yellow card of the game.
Chance for The Gunners to get a ball into the visitors’ box.
Credit: Reuters Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
33. The home fans are getting a little restless.
Arsenal are gifting away possession all too often.
Roberto De Zerbi will be happy with what he is seeing from his team so far today.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
31. Both managers are dressed like they are playing the bad guy in a James Bond film today.
The ball is lost by Brighton on the halfway line, Odegaard plays the ball to Trossard who cuts inside from the left.
As the goal opens up in front of him, he shoots, but it is over the crossbar.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
29. Arsenal are playing patiently, quite happy for the visitors to have the lion’s share of the ball.
Brighton are finding lots of pockets of space to play the ball into.
Mikel Arteta’s side are struggling to hold onto the ball currently.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
27. It has been a confident start by the visitors.
Knocking the ball around and looking to get forward when the chance presents itself.
Xhaka is penalised for a foul on Gilmour on the halfway line.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
25. Odegaard feeds the ball into the path of Jesus in the box.
He looks to shoot from a tight angle and Steele saves with his feet.
Saka looks to take the corner for The Gunners.
Credit: Getty Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
23. Jorginho goes to ground off the ball and starts rolling around like his leg is broken.
He loves making a mountain out of a molehill the Italian.
Fortunately for Arsenal he makes yet another miraculous recovery and is running around again.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
21. Trossard mis-controls the ball with his first touch.
It will be a big game for him today against his former employers.
Ramsdale is probably the only of the two keepers who has really been tested in the opening stages of this game so far.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
19. Arsenal are just struggling to find that final pass.
Enciso does well to find Ferguson who looks to turn Gabriel but the defender puts in a good challenge.
It looks like Trossard is going to come off for Martinelli.
The Arsenal winger has received some heavy challenges since he wiped out Mitoma with a forearm.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
17. Odegaard has the ball outside of the box with no immediate challenges coming in, so takes the chance to shoot.
Steele has it covered as it goes wide of the post.
Brighton have had 72% possession in the opening stages of this game.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
15. Roberto De Zerbi’s side are looking comfortable on the ball.
As they pass it around, Enciso looks to turn and is fouled by White.
The visitors are getting players forward quickly as they look to attack.
Credit: AP Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
13. Brighton almost gift Arsenal a goal with a loose pass.
It just evades Xhaka, as the visitors counter attack with pace.
Enciso has the ball, drops the shoulder and lets a shot go which Ramsdale has to tip over the crossbar.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
11. The referee seems to think two wrongs make a right there.
In all fairness, both challenges should have warranted cards there.
Feisty start to the game at The Emirates.
Saka finds White out wide but his cross is poor and easily collected by Steele in the Brighton goal.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
9. Caicedo puts in a heavy challenge on Martinelli which also goes unpunished by the referee.
Payback for the earlier challenge from the Brighton player there.
Mikel Arteta tells the fourth official what he thinks of that one.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
7. The usual inconsistency of officiating in the Premier League continues.
Unbelievably, Martinelli does not even see a card for that challenge.
Arsenal win the ball back and look to come forward once again.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
5. Gross mishits the ball and gives away an unnecessary corner.
Martinelli swings the ball in but it is headed clear.
Free kick to Brighton as Martinelli leads with an arm into the player.
Credit: Reuters Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
3. The Arsenal skipper is back to his feet and able to continue.
Brighton are sitting deep in the early stages, giving the home side plenty of space to pass the ball around.
Arteta’s side are looking to press the visitors high up the pitch.
Arsenal 0-0 Brighton
1. The home faithful have not given up hope of a title this season.
Martin Odegaard lays flat out on the floor after taking a football straight into the face.
It is an electric atmosphere in North London today.
Kick-off: Arsenal vs Brighton
We are underway at The Emirates.
Arsenal know, nothing short of three points will do today.
Brighton get the game started in North London.
Home is where the heart is
Arsenal have won five of their last six game at home, drawing the other game, scoring at least three goals on each occasion.
Mikel Arteta’s side are two goals short of scoring 100 goals in all competitions this season.
However, The Gunners have only kept three clean sheets at home this season, with only Southampton having kept fewer.
Strikers key to success at Emirates
Both sides tend to use their strikers to link up play between their midfield and attack.
With players making runs off them, their ability to hold the ball up to bring others into the attacking play is key.
Having just come back from injury, Ferguson will be keen to make an impression on the big stage today.
Arteta wants winning mentality
Irrelevant to whether Arsenal manage to pip Man City to the Premier League title, this side is in an evolution in the Spaniard’s project.
He will have one eye on building towards next season, having given his players a winning mentality of the course of this campaign.
The Gunners cannot take their eye off the ball and need to ensure that they make The Emirates a tough place for any side to come and get points.
Credit: PA Tough task lies ahead for Arsenal
Brighton have won three of their last four visits to The Emirates in all competitions.
The sides have beaten each other once already this season, having met in the Carabao Cup also.
Arsenal need one more win to equal a club record 26 victories in a Premier League season.
Brighton subs:
38. McGill, 18. Welbeck, 21. Undav, 26. Ayari, 29. van Hecke, 40. Buonanotte, 42. Offiah, 49. Moran, 51. Peupion
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
