Influential performances from Dutch duo Vivianne Miedema and Danielle Van de Donk fire the Gunners to the top of the WSL.
Arsenal faced a tall task in their quest to maintain their 100 percent record at the top of the WSL, coming into this game without Jill Roord, Jordan Nobbs and Kim Little and still licking their wounds from an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea in the Continental Cup in midweek.
The Gunners would not have to wait long to take the lead as in the ninth minute a corner would fall to Vivianne Miedema outside the penalty area.
Miedema would strike the ball with finesse and the ball would find the near post, beating Megan Walsh for Miedema’s sixth goal of the season.
Arsenal would have plenty of chances to double their lead but were caught offside on multiple occasions.
The North London side, despite their injury woes, would still look threatening in front of goal as Beth Mead would strike the post after 13 mins and Miedema would latch onto a defensive error by Brighton to force a brave one-on-one save from Walsh.
Arsenal would get their second ten minutes from halftime as Caitlin Foord would bring the ball into the box from the wing and find Danielle Van de Donk, who shot a first-time effort to the far post for her first goal of the season.
The visitors could not have hoped for a better start to their second half as a corner on forty-seven minutes was met in the air by Jen Beattie with a header that just crossed the Brighton line to give Arsenal a 3-0 lead.
As the second half wore on, both teams became quite frustrated. Fouls came thick and fast and neither team could create clear-cut chances. Brighton just couldn’t find the final decisive pass to put them in a position to beat Manuela Zinsberger in the Arsenal net.
Arsenal would eventually find the net again as the Seagulls tired, a potential effect of both teams playing Continental Cup ties in midweek.
Miedema, who found herself on the wing multiple times throughout the match, would float a well-placed cross to the back post to find substitute Lotte Wubben-Moy, who finished from close range for Arsenal’s fourth. Miedema would add another in the dying embers of the match after a scramble in the Brighton box to cap off a victory for the Gunners.
Despite the score line, there were positives to be taken from this game for Brighton fans. The hosts controlled the flow of the game well with their pressure, driving Arsenal away from the centre of the field and towards the wing, leaving the Gunners to adjust, as they did, placing Miedema out on the wing to draw out Brighton’s defenders.
This victory takes Arsenal top of the WSL while Brighton will look to avoid a losing streak as they have now lost their last two league fixtures.
Arsenal’s next game will be the North London derby against rivals Tottenham while Brighton face a tough test travelling to Merseyside to face Everton.
The Inbound Observer 