Onto Liverpool. If Arsenal returning to the top of the Premier League table felt like a statement before Jurgen Klopp’s side were held by Manchester United in the final fixture of the weekend, it also sends a message ahead of what is shaping up to be one of the defining clashes of the campaign on the Saturday before Christmas. As Manchester City jet off to the Club World Cup amid their worst run of form in years under Pep Guardiola, it leaves a clear top two in the Premier League table: they meet at Anfield next weekend.
After defeat at Aston Villa, who may feel they should also be in the conversation after their late win at Brentford, returning to winning ways was the objective here for Mikel Arteta’s side. They managed to do so against a Brighton team whose struggles in the Premier League continued after hitting further heights in Europe in midweek. Arsenal had almost all the chances and almost all the shots against Roberto De Zerbi’s visitors and for the first time in 33 top-flight matches, Brighton failed to score.
