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Arsenal put more distance between themselves and Man City at the top of the table with a 4-2 win over Brighton
Arsenal will head into the new year seven points clear at the top of the Premier League after beating Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2 at the AMEX Stadium.
Brighton vs Arsenal first half
Having been top on Christmas Day for the first time in 15 years, the momentum was firmly behind Mikel Arteta and his men.
Arsenal started with breathtaking speed as they looked to hit Brighton early and it paid off after just 70 seconds. Bukayo Saka quickly reacted to a rebound and fired in the opener to score the quickest Arsenal away Premier League goal since May 2013.
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The Gunners lead would be doubled before the interval by virtue of a brilliant piece of play by Martin Odegaard, as the captain fired his effort home from just inside the area after Brighton failed to clear their lines.
Brighton vs Arsenal second half action
Arsenal entered the second half in the ascendancy and extended their lead almost immediately after the restart.
Eddie Nketiah found himself on the end of a rebound following some brilliant team play on the left wing, and the forward capitalised to give the Gunners a 3-goal advantage.
For all their struggles in the contest, Brighton never lacked belief or fight, which was evident as Kaoru Mitoma struck what appeared to be a consolation shortly after the hour mark.
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Arsenal were in no mood for a comeback though, and restored their three-goal lead moments later through Gabriel Martinelli, as the Brazilian sprinted in behind before firing a low effort through Robert Sanchez.
Brighton simply kept battling back. Evan Ferguson reduced the deficit again, scoring his first Premier League goal, with the 18-year-old forcing William Saliba into an error before slotting past Ramsdale
There was further scare in store for Arsenal when Mitoma netted once more in the closing stages, but a VAR review showed the Japan international was offside.
Arsenal are now unbeaten in each of their last 10 league games as they look to end a 19-year wait to be crowned champions.
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