Martin Odegaard scored his first Premier League goal of the campaign as Arsenal held their nerve to beat Brighton and move back to the summit of the table.
The Gunners had slipped to second earlier in the day following Manchester City’s win over Nottingham Forest, but they responded with a dominant first-half display at Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal took the lead after Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen’s misplaced goal-kick was intercepted, allowing Bukayo Saka to tee up Odegaard, who swept a finish in from the edge of the box.
Mikel Arteta’s side went into the break only one goal ahead despite overwhelming Brighton before half-time, registering 15 attempts and five on target while conceding none.
Seven minutes after the restart Arsenal doubled their advantage in fortuitous fashion.
Declan Rice, deputising at right-back, delivered a corner that Brighton’s Georginio Rutter inadvertently flicked into his own net - the fourth own goal to benefit Arsenal in as many matches.
The contest appeared settled until Brighton struck back with their first effort on target.
Yasin Ayari’s shot came back off the post and Diego Gomez reacted quickest to slam home the rebound, injecting late tension into the game.
Brighton’s momentum grew following the introduction of Yankuba Minteh at half-time, with the winger’s pace troubling Arsenal’s reshuffled defence.
David Raya was forced into a superb save late on, tipping Minteh’s curling effort away to preserve the lead and secure all three points.
Arsenal continue to show title-winning resilience, grinding out victories despite injury setbacks and defensive reshuffles.
With Jurrien Timber already sidelined, Rice filled in at right-back, while Riccardo Calafiori was a late withdrawal after picking up an issue in the warm-up.
Recent late concessions had made supporters nervous, but the return of Gabriel from the bench after a lengthy absence helped Arsenal see out the closing stages and extend their winning run to three matches since defeat at Aston Villa.
Brighton arrived in north London without a win in four matches but with a strong recent record at the Emirates.
However, a passive first half prompted Fabian Hurzeler to make changes at the interval, introducing Minteh and Mats Wieffer.
Gomez’s goal sparked belief and Brighton pushed for a late equaliser, even bringing on former Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck, but their rally fell short.
Once as high as fifth earlier in the season, the Seagulls’ winless run has now stretched to five games and leaves them down in 12th place.
