Arsenal left the south coast with a priceless 1-0 victory over Brighton, a result that pushed them seven points clear at the top of the Premier League and underlined their growing resilience in the title race.

Bukayo Saka delivered the decisive moment inside nine minutes. Drifting in from the right, he worked a yard of space on the edge of the box and let fly. The shot was not his cleanest, but a deflection off Carlos Baleba wrong-footed Bart Verbruggen and trickled into the Brighton net. It was one of only two efforts on target Arsenal managed all evening, yet it proved enough.

From that point on, the contest belonged largely to Brighton. Fabian Hurzeler’s side controlled possession, finishing with around 60 per cent of the ball, and repeatedly hemmed Arsenal into their own half. The hosts pressed high, circulated the ball with patience and forced errors, most notably when David Raya passed straight to Baleba in the second minute, only for Gabriel Magalhaes to race back and hook the midfielder’s chip off the line.

That early escape set the tone for a night in which Arsenal’s defending, rather than their attacking fluency, carried them through. With William Saliba absent, Gabriel produced a commanding display at the heart of the back line, ably supported by Piero Hincapie and returning full-back Jurrien Timber. Brighton mustered 11 shots but generated little in the way of clear chances, their efforts worth just 0.8 expected goals. Raya was scarcely troubled after saving a Mats Wieffer header midway through the second half.

The game grew increasingly fractious. Raya twice required treatment, prompting loud complaints from the home crowd and an animated Hurzeler on the touchline. Afterward, the Brighton head coach claimed “only one team tried to play football” and questioned how often a goalkeeper goes down three times in a Premier League match. Mikel Arteta, asked about those accusations, offered a pointedly brief reply: “What a surprise.”

Arsenal might have spared themselves a tense finale when substitute Kai Havertz broke clear and forced a low save from Verbruggen, but their failure to add a second only heightened the drama. As the final whistle sounded, news filtered through of Manchester City’s draw with Nottingham Forest, sparking jubilant celebrations in the away end. It was not a performance to thrill the purists, yet for Arsenal and their travelling supporters, this hard-fought, ugly win may come to be remembered as one of the defining steps of their season.