Brighton 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal gave their Premier League title charge a major boost with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

With Manchester City stumbling to an unexpected 2-2 draw against 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, Arsenal’s victory at the American Express Stadium proved even more significant, moving the Gunners seven points clear at the top of the table.

Bukayo Saka marked his 300th Arsenal appearance with the crucial goal, as his early strike deflected in off Carlos Baleba.

Brighton pushed back admirably and nearly equalised through Georginio Rutter in the second half, but the hosts were unable to puncture Arsenal’s fierce defence.

While Arsenal extended their advantage at the summit, Brighton sit firmly in mid-table after having their two-game winning streak snapped.

How the match unfolded

A strong start was exactly what Mikel Arteta would have demanded from his side, and he got just that after nine minutes as Saka’s low, curling strike deflected off Baleba and flew past a completely wrongfooted Bart Verbruggen, who could not react sharply enough.

Matters might have been different for the Gunners if not for the heroic work of Gabriel Magalhaes, who had earlier made a fantastic recovery effort to rescue David Raya, who had been lobbed by Baleba after cheaply turning possession over.

Gabriel then thwarted Kaoru Mitoma soon after Saka's goal, sliding in to deny the Brighton forward an open chance to fire on target.

Brighton continued to apply the pressure after the break and nearly found a deserved equaliser through Rutter, whose rasping drive was parried by an outstretched Raya.

Former Brighton attacker Leandro Trossard squandered a golden opportunity to seal the points for Arsenal late on as he sliced awkwardly through a shot off Jurrien Timber's cut-back, though the Gunners nevertheless held firm to secure what may prove to be a pivotal result in the title race.