Our Arsenal week 16 match review covers Arsenal’s 4-2 win away against Brighton. This win puts the Gunners seven points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table. This win is impressive, especially given Arsenal’s recent struggles against Brighton. Let’s get into our latest match review.
Arsenal Week 16 Match Review: The Positives
Arsenal enjoyed an excellent first half, going into the halftime break up 2-0 thanks to goals from Saka and Odegaard. Brighton could not handle the Gunners’ attack in the first half and only had sporadic chances of their own. The control Arsenal enjoyed in the first half was quite impressive.
Ben White Had Another Good Game
Ben White also played well yet again. He defended quite well and was composed on the ball, as well. White prevented Mitoma from having much influence on the game. It was telling that Mitoma only started finding success against the Gunners’ defense after Ben White was substituted from the match.
Partey had a very good game. He resisted Brighton’s press, played some great passes, and set the tempo in the midfield. Partey’s performance helped Arsenal win the midfield battle convincingly.
Arsenal Week 16 Match Review: Martin Odegaard was Man of the Match
Martin Odegaard had an exceptional performance. He provided a goal and an assist while maintaining possession and pushing the team forward. Odegaard also had several moments of magnificent skill that further illustrated his class. Martin Odegaard now has seven Premier League goals, making him the leading goal scorer among Premier League midfielders so far this season. Odegaard was my Man of the Match against Brighton, despite excellent performances from other Arsenal players.
Every member of Arsenal’s front three scored, as well. Saka’s goal set Arsenal on their way early in the first half, while the goals from Nketiah and Martinelli proved decisive in securing the win. Martinelli and Saka both played very well, but that is merely a continuation of their excellent form this season. We have come to expect such performances.
Nketiah Scores Once Again
Nketiah scored again to make it two goals from two Premier League starts in Gabriel Jesus’ absence. Eddie Nketiah might not provide everything that Jesus does, but his goal-scoring record when he starts is very good. Nketiah should be happy with his performance and Arsenal will need Nketiah to continue scoring consistently to maintain their Premier League title challenge.
Arsenal Week 16 Match Review: The Negatives
The negatives from this match were almost exclusively contained to the second half. Saliba played poorly once again and seems to be struggling a bit following the World Cup break. His error led to one of Brighton’s goals and we have come to expect much better from him. Nevertheless, Saliba is a young player and he will no doubt learn from his mistakes under Arteta’s guidance.
Tomiyasu also did not have his best game, either. The drop-off when he came on to replace Ben White on the right side of Arsenal’s defense was significant. Mitoma enjoyed far too much success against Tomiyasu and nearly scored a brace to set up a very nervy end to the game for the Gunners. However, as with Saliba, Tomiyasu typically puts in far better performances and will likely recover from this poor performance in due time.
In general, the Gunners also let some control of the game slip from their grasp in the last twenty minutes or so. Thankfully, it did not cost them any points this time. However, Arsenal must do a better job of maintaining control in order to avoid dropping points in future matches, especially away from home.
Manager Rating: 8.5/10
Arteta generally did a good job in this game. However, he might have taken off Ben White a little too early. Doing so gave Mitoma the opportunity to really do some damage and give Brighton some hope in this match. Despite this, Arteta made several good decisions and created an effective game plan to win another tricky away match. Tomiyasu’s struggles to contain Mitoma can’t really be blamed on Arteta.
Arsenal Face Newcastle Next
The Gunners return home to the Emirates to play Newcastle next in the Premier League. This is another vital fixture and one Arsenal needs to win. Arsenal has played brilliantly in home Premier League matches, so I would bet on another home win for the Gunners, even against a tough Newcastle side.
Check back next week for more Arsenal content.