Arsenal's New Art of Survival

LONDON, SUNDAY - For Arsenal, there is nothing more important at this moment than victory. That is the only way for them to quench their long-standing thirst for a championship. Various efforts are being made to consistently secure three points, including relying on own goals from opposing players.

An unremarkable victory was once again achieved by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, London, on Saturday (27/12/2025). They won by a narrow margin of 2-1 against the visiting team Brighton and Hove Albion. The difference was made by an own goal from the opposing striker Georginio Rutter in the 52nd minute.

Three consecutive times in the English League, "The Gunners" won by a one-goal margin. Four out of their last six goals came from opponents' own goals. These statistics seem less convincing for a championship-contending team, yet in reality, Arsenal still tops the league standings with 42 points.

"Several of the recent matches have been closely contested until the end, but the most important thing is that you must win in various ways. We must continue to push forward and achieve victory. Certainly, we should be able to perform better than this," said Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who scored the opening goal.

Arsenal can clearly perform better than in the past few weeks. They have already proven this in the first three months of this season. However, the relentless wave of injuries has not been favorable for the team managed by Mikel Arteta. In the previous match, for instance, they faced a defensive crisis.

Midfielder Declan Rice was forced to play as a right wing-back due to injuries sustained by Jurrien Timber and Ben White. Left wing-back Riccardo Calafiori was unexpectedly ruled out due to an injury during warm-up. Meanwhile, center-back Gabriel Magalhaes has just recovered after being sidelined for the past month.

This situation has somewhat disrupted Arsenal's stability. They could suddenly lose their balance. As seen in the previous match, Arsenal dominated the game in the first hour. The hosts were comfortable with a two-goal lead until they suddenly conceded in the 64th minute.

Brighton's goal, scored by attacking midfielder Diogo Gomez, was the second accurate shot for the visiting team in the match. This highlighted Brighton's difficulties in penetrating the opponent's penalty area. However, after that goal, Arsenal suddenly lost control and momentum.

Arsenal was pressured in the last half hour of the match. Although it seemed sudden, their panic appeared quite normal. The four home defenders had just played together for the first time in the back line. They are Rice, William Saliba, Pierro Hincapie, and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Arteta read the panic. The manager attempted to neutralize the situation by bringing in Gabriel, who had just recovered from injury. Gabriel replaced Lewis-Skelly in the 71st minute. The central defensive duo of Gabriel and Saliba made Arsenal's defense a bit more composed.

Goalkeeper David Raya played a crucial role in Arsenal's victory. He leaped to save a shot aimed at the top corner of the far post from Brighton's striker Yankuba Minteh. Without Raya's fingertip touch, the score would have changed to 2-2, and Arsenal would have certainly become more anxious.

"David had to make a save to maintain the result. That is what happened, but what I like is that we were able to face various problems remarkably. Yesterday we lost Jurrien, today it was Calafiori's turn. The spirit of this team shows how much the players want (to be champions)," said Arteta.

Not luck

At first glance, the own goals scored by Arsenal may seem like luck. However, this is by no means a coincidence. Arsenal is known as the best team in set pieces, particularly corner kicks. They have scored ten goals from set piece schemes in the league.

The opposing teams were very reactive and appeared panicked when defending against Arsenal's corner kick schemes. It is evident that three out of four own goals scored by Arsenal originated from corner kick setups. This includes Rutter, who headed in a corner kick execution from Rice.

In the match against Everton last week, Arsenal won 1-0. The victory did not come from an own goal, but rather from an opponent's mistake in the penalty area. An Everton player touched the ball with his hand while attempting to clear a cross from a corner kick. Arsenal's set-piece scheme is lethal in various ways.

Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler stated that the match showcased Arsenal's maturity as a title contender. The home team was able to capitalize on a very narrow margin to secure victory. "I think that thin margin makes the difference in this league. We lost due to our own individual mistakes," he said.

The result allowed Arsenal to temporarily escape the pursuit of Manchester City. Before the match at the Emirates Stadium, City had briefly taken the top position with a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest. Arsenal reclaimed the top spot a few hours later. (AP/REUTERS)