Bukayo Saka’s ninth-minute goal was the difference for Arsenal at Brighton, but it was events happening some 200 miles away in Manchester that could have the greater impact on who will be crowned this season’s Premier League champions.

As the clocked ticked past the hour mark, news of Nottingham Forest’s equaliser against Manchester City trickled through to the Amex Stadium, and with it the realisation that Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League had stretched to seven points. Some five minutes later, City were ahead again and Arsenal were back to being five points in front. A second Forest equaliser, however, then brought the Arsenal fans out in song — and there were further celebrations at the final whistle.

This was a difficult night for Mikel Arteta’s side — stop-start and full of niggle, with only Saka’s early strike to celebrate — but Arsenal came away with three very precious points. Crucially, with a trip to the Etihad to come in April and Manchester City having played one game fewer, the Premier League title race is back in Arsenal’s hands.

James McNicholas dissects the key talking points on a very significant night…

A big step forward for Arsenal

Arsenal took another big step towards the Premier League title this evening. Not only did they come through a significant test at Brighton, but rivals Manchester City dropped two points at home to Nottingham Forest.

This was not a particularly good Arsenal performance. In the first hour of the game, they struggled to live with Brighton’s lively movement and man-to-man style. Arsenal looked heavy-legged and short on ideas in possession.

Despite that, they showed the necessary maturity to manage the situation. Arteta’s changes, introducing the likes of Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard, helped produce an improvement in performance. When Arsenal needed a breather to regroup and reorganise, David Raya just so happened to pick up a shoulder injury.

That has been the difference for Arsenal this year: when they have been below their best, they have frequently found a way to grind out a result. Meanwhile, at the Etihad, Manchester City twice let a lead slip against relegation-battling Nottingham Forest.

It means Arsenal’s lead is now extended to seven points. Manchester City may have a game in hand, but time is running out for them to reel in the front-runners.

Bukayo Saka scores on 300th Arsenal appearance

Only three players in Arsenal’s history have reached 300 appearances at a younger age than Saka, who turned 24 last September: Liam Brady (24 years, 73 days), Cesc Fabregas (23 years, 341 days), and David O’Leary (23 years, 315 days).

While Bart Verbruggen will have been disappointed to allow Saka’s deflected strike to go through his legs, the Arsenal player was rewarded for seizing the initiative and taking the shot on.

Bukayo Saka celebrates with Cristhian Mosquera (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

This was the 79th goal of Saka’s 300 appearances. With 69 assists to his name, he has racked up a total of 148 goal contributions. Saka provides a goal or assist virtually every other game.

After a goalless run at the start of 2026, Saka has now scored twice in his last four Premier League appearances. Arsenal will hope that’s indicative of an upturn in form heading into the run-in.

A nervy night for Arteta’s men

It was another nail-biting 90 minutes for Arsenal fans at Brighton.

Arsenal came into this game off the back of two London derbies against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. On the evidence of this evening, those games took a good deal out of the squad — Arteta’s men looked weary and were frequently second to the ball.

Mikel Arteta directs his squad during a break in play (Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)

In the second half, Arsenal settled somewhat, and there were a couple of opportunities for them to extend their lead. Neither Trossard nor Havertz could convert, however, so Arsenal were left holding on to their slender advantage.

The fact that there were seven minutes added on at both Brighton and the Etihad made for a particularly nervy final few minutes.

Ultimately, however, Arsenal got over the line — and City stumbled. This was a great night for Arsenal, with an excellent evening for their fans topped off by West Ham’s win at Fulham, further deepening relegation concerns for neighbours Tottenham.

Playing it safe at the back

Mikel Arteta took the unusual decision to remove a centre-half with half an hour still to play.

Mosquera, who started in place of the injured William Saliba, was living dangerously, having picked up a first-half booking. After Yankuba Minteh showed he had the beating of Mosquera on the left flank, Arteta wasted little time before substituting the 21-year-old, with Riccardo Calafiori coming on as his replacement.

This was an appropriate use of Arsenal’s depth. Mosquera has been very composed this season, but on a testing night, Arteta could not afford to risk the possibility of going down to 10 men.

Arsenal could not risk going down to 10 men with the game finely poised (Shaun Brooks/CameraSport via Getty Images)

The Arsenal manager told the media before kick-off that Saliba had picked up an injury against Chelsea.

“He turned his ankle,” Arteta told TNT Sports. “He managed to finish the game somehow, but he was too sore to play today.”

There will be no huge rush to have Saliba back. Arteta should have more than enough defensive cover for the FA Cup trip to Mansfield Town this weekend.

What next for Arsenal?

Saturday, March 7: Mansfield Town (Away), FA Cup fifth round, 12.15pm UK, 7.15am ET