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Arsenal go top after 3-0 win over Brighton

Published

2 years ago

April 6, 2024

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Arsenal continued to do their part in the Premier League’s three-way title race as goals in each half saw them get the better of Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

After a hard-fought opening half hour, Arsenal struck first when Bukayo Saka put away a penalty. The England international sent Bart Verbruggen the wrong way, stepping up after Gabriel Jesus bamboozled Tariq Lamptey to earn the spot-kick.

Mikel Arteta’s team chased a second after the break, with Verbruggen needing to be alert to deny Martin Odegaard, but they finally got the breakthrough just after the hour mark when Kai Havertz tapped home from close range.

Leandro Trossard came off the bench to make it three against his former club, and the result was enough to ensure Arteta’s men returned to the top of the table ahead of Sunday’s fixtures. Liverpool can reclaim top spot with three points away to Manchester United, but the pressure is very much on.

Arsenal almost went in front inside two minutes, with Gabriel beating Bart Verbruggen to a Martin Odegaard free-kick but heading wide. The Gunners had some issues with quick Brighton breaks, with Julio Enciso sending one chance high over the bar.

The returning Saka then went close to breaking the deadlock, cutting inside and curling just wide, and the winger later fed Gabriel Jesus for a shot which was kept away well by Verbruggen. It was those two who combined for the spot-kick which gave Arsenal the lead, though the visitors needed a big hand from David Raya to deny Julio Enciso and keep it 1-0 at the break.

There was still a sense Arsenal might need a second, and there was no chance of a Brighton comeback after Havertz slotted home. Trossard’s goal will have been a sweet moment for the Belgian, once of Brighton, and another boost for Arsenal’s goal difference.

A comfortable away win was the perfect response after title rivals Manchester City won earlier in the day, and puts the pressure on Liverpool’s trip to Old Trafford on Sunday. Here are Mirror Football’s talking points from the Saturday evening game at the Amex Stadium.

While some of the changes made by Mikel Arteta were predictable, there had been doubts over the availability of Bukayo Saka. The wide man missed the midweek win over Luton after leaving the field early against Manchester City,

The England star might have been off the boil a little at the Etihad Stadium, but there were few signs of his injury issues this time around. Saka was active early on in some of Arsenal’s best attacking work, and was the coolest man on the field as he tucked away his penalty.

Arsenal only got an hour out of Saka in the end, with the winger making way in a double change shortly after the second goal went in. With some huge games on the horizon, beginning with Bayern Munich on Tuesday, they’ll want to avoid taking too many risks where possible.

While Gabriel Jesus’ part in the penalty was the biggest one, it wouldn’t have been possible without the input of goalkeeper David Raya. The Spaniard set his team-mates downfield when he threaded the eye of the needle with a risky pass out from the back, but sometimes you need risk for reward.

There were questions asked of Raya early on in his time in North London, but these are the moments he was signed for. Arsenal might not have immediately scored from the attack, but it allowed them to pin their opponents back before getting Jesus one-on-one with Lamptey and able to take full advantage.

The save Raya made to deny Enciso a minute from the break is something which backup Aaron Ramsdale will feel he’s also capable of producing. The distribution is a different matter, though.

Roberto De Zerbi has made no secret of Brighton’s injury problems, and there are two ways in which those issues manifest. It’s not just being robbed of players mid-game, but also the challenge in keeping a consistent line-up throughout the season.

Julio Enciso impressed going forward, while Jakub Moder threatened for the hosts early on. Both are recently back from long-term absences, though, meaning the individual moments aren’t always matched by consistent fluidity.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side only have two bottom-half teams to face between now and the end of the season. If they can’t rediscover their impressive early-season form before the worst of the injury crisis hit, it could be an underwhelming end to the campaign.

Brighton got plenty of change out of their right flank in the first half, with Oleksandr Zinchenko seemingly identified as a potential weak link. There was another shaky moment early in the second period, again unpunished, but Mikel Arteta might not have been delighted with what he saw.

Going into the game, Arsenal hadn’t conceded an away league goal since the end of January. It’s clear teams have found it tough to get at them, but Arteta – ever the perfectionist – will want to cut out even the smallest openings as far as the league’s best defence is concerned.

Perhaps he saw it as a trade-off, though. Yes, Zinchenko was relatively isolated by Gabriel Jesus’ high starting point on the left-flank, but Arsenal took advantage of this to get their noses in front and stayed there.

The pressure was on Arsenal after Manchester City’s lunchtime win at Selhurst Park. City trailed early on against Crystal Palace, but their response was one of a team who don’t look like drawing another blank in a hurry after their stalemate against the Gunners.

Related Topics:Arsenal Brighton Premier League

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Sports

Nine African teams in World Cup last-32 round

Published

1 month ago

June 28, 2026

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Following the conclusion of the group stage, nine African countries have confirmed their places in round 32 of the 2026 World Cup.

Algeria and DR Congo are the latest teams from the continent to seal their last-32 ticket at the ongoing competition.

They join Morocco, South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Cape Verde, Ghana and Senegal in the business end of the competition, breaking the previous record of just two African teams at a World Cup knockout round.

Tunisia is the only country on the continent to qualify for the World Cup, but failed to progress beyond the group stage.

DR Congo qualified after earning their first-ever World Cup victory, 3-1 over Uzbekistan, in their last group stage match on Saturday in Atlanta. Yoane Wissa’s brace and Fislon Mayele’s strike helped the Leopard turn around a game that started disastrously for them.

The victory takes DR Congo to the top of the eight best third-placed teams, and they will face England next on Wednesday.

Algeria also managed to squeeze into the last 32 through the best losers’ route. A 3-3 draw against Austria in their final group game ensured they displaced Iran for the final slot.

Ghana also clung to the third-placed ladder to advance despite their 2-1 loss to Croatia in their last Group game. The Black Stars will face Colombia in the next round on July 3.

ROUND OF 32 FIXTURES (All Nigerian time)

South Africa vs Canada — June 28 — 8 pm — Los Angeles Stadium

Brazil vs Japan — June 29 — 6 pm — Houston Stadium

Germany vs Paraguay — June 29 — 9:30 pm — Boston Stadium

Netherlands vs Morocco — June 30 — 2 am — Estadio Monterrey

Ivory Coast vs Norway — June 30 — 6 pm — Dallas Stadium

France vs Sweden — June 30 — 10 pm — New York New Jersey Stadium

Mexico vs Ecuador — July 1 — 2 am — Mexico City Stadium

England vs DR Congo — July 1 — 5 am — Atlanta Stadium

Belgium vs Senegal — July 1 — 9 pm — Seattle Stadium

United States vs Bosnia and Herzegovina — July 2 — 1 am — San Francisco Bay Area Stadium

Spain vs Austria — July 2 — 6 pm — Los Angeles Stadium

Portugal vs Croatia — July 3 — 12 am — Toronto Stadium

Switzerland vs Algeria — July 3 — 4 am — BC Place, Vancouver

Australia vs Egypt — July 3 — 7 pm — Dallas Stadium

Argentina vs Cape Verde — July 3 — 11 pm — Miami Stadium

Colombia vs Ghana — July 4 — 2:30 am — Kansas City Stadium

Sports

Athletics Open: Amusan wins gold, sets new record in Taiwan

Published

2 months ago

June 6, 2026

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Nigerian and world women’s 100m hurdles world record holder, Tobi Amusan,on Saturday won the women’s 100m hurdles gold at the New Taipei Athletics Open in Taiwan.

Amusan struck gold ahead of Taiwanese duo Bo Ya Zhang, who settled for second place in 13.17s, and Yi Po-an took third place in 13.37s.

The 29-year-old’s winning time of 12.72s is also a new meeting record, chalking off 0.08s off the previous mark of 12.80s held by Nia Ali, US Olympic silver medalist and former world champion.

Amusan was dominant in the qualifiers for the final, blowing away the field in Heat 2, and continued the form in the final to deliver a swashbuckling race that thrilled the crowd.

She took the lead outright after the fourth hurdle, leaving Zhang behind.

The three-time Senior Africa Athletics Championship winner crossed the finish line before the last competing athlete cleared the final hurdle, to the amazement of screaming spectators.

It is the second consecutive race Amusan will break a meeting record this athletics season, she also broke her meeting record in the women’s 100m hurdles event at the Rabat Diamond League.

She has won three of five races this season, and has not failed to claim a podium finish.

Sports

Arsenal win EPL title after 22 years

Published

3 months ago

May 19, 2026

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Arsenal are English Premier League (EPL) champions after Manchester City failed to win at Bournemouth.

Pep Guardiola’s Man City drew 1-1 with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium to hand Arsenal an unassailable four-point lead with just one match remaining to the end of the season.

The Gunners win the EPL title for the first time in 22 years, since the legendary Invincible side won it in the 2003/04 season.

In the club’s 100th season without relegation from the EPL, the club will celebrate its centenary participation with a league title won on the back of a record 28 EPL wins that surpassed the 26 wins recorded by the Invincibles. The defence prevented opponents from registering a shot on target in six matches, equaling a 23-year league record, and also scored a record 17 goals from corner kicks.

Mikel Arteta’s tough side has led the table for most of the season before a late mini-collapse, and Man City’s late surge in form nearly threatened their title ambition for a second season in a row.

City’s late resurgence, however, was initially stunned by Everton in early May and completely collapsed against Bournemouth.

Guardiola’s side visited the Vitality Stadium aware that any result other than a victory would seal Arsenal’s title. But they lacked the execution for the mission after falling to a wonderful strike from Junior Kroupi in the first half.

City were only kept in the game by Bournemouth’s profligacy in front of goal. When Erling Haaland’s equaliser was squeezed home in the eleventh hour of the game, even the most faithful City supporter knew it was too little, too late.

Arsenal and Arteta secured the league earlier than they would have predicted, giving City a prodigious title run-in.

The league triumph is Arteta’s second major title with the North London club since joining in December 2019, adding to the English FA Cup trophy won within six months of his tenure in May 2020.

The 44-year-old Spaniard wins his fourth title overall and can win his fifth — and third major trophy — with victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final next weekend.