Forgettable Brighton roll over as Arsenal hit Seagulls for five

Brighton’s impressive WSL form took a hard knock at the Emirates as the Seagulls were well beaten by a rejuvenated Arsenal, who scored five to mark a third league win of the season.

Brighton came into the match sitting third in the WSL, an unprecedented high. The Seagulls brushed with relegation in each of the last two seasons but have totally reversed their fortunes in 2024, only losing to Manchester City in previous outings. Facing a drifting Arsenal still without a permanent manager, there was ample opportunity to carry on the momentum.

Few signs of that high-flying Brighton were on display today. Despite their soaring form, Brighton appeared dazzled by the Emirates lights as they struggled to complete the fundamentals of the game, misplacing simple passes in dangerous areas to gift chances to the hosts.

Beth Mead’s opener was scored very much on merit, though. A marauding run and well-placed pass by Frida Maanum caught Poppy Pattinson out of position and found the Briton at the corner of the box. She beat her marker in short order before finishing powerfully into the bottom left corner to give Arsenal an early lead.

Arsenal doubled their lead with an equally well worked goal. Emily Fox did the bulk of the work, bombing forward with pace to breach the box and put Brighton on the back foot. She found Kim Little, who served a cross on a silver platter for Caitlin Foord to tap home from close range.

A blink of an eye later and the lead would grow further still as Maanum created a goal out of nothing. With the ball at her feet about 25 yards from goal, she glanced up and tried her luck, sending a gorgeous curled effort far beyond the reach of a helpless Sophie Baggley.

As Arsenal’s confidence grew exponentially, many in the ground wondered what had happened to the Brighton of matches gone by. The swashbuckling confidence and fluid attacking fans had grown used to was nowhere to be seen, the only high points of the performance coming by way of a semi-successful high press, though Arsenal were ultimately unphased by this.

To see a confident Arsenal was alien in itself, unfamiliar but welcome. Previous nights out at the Emirates have yielded little for the Gunners this season, with results including a forgettable goalless draw with abject Everton and a humiliating London derby defeat to Chelsea. With interim coach Renee Slegers now in charge for three and a half weeks, it seems the Gunners have turned a corner, regaining a sense of self and allowing themselves to enjoy the occasion, a rare feat in the late stages of the Eidevall Era.

While the second half would see little change in direction of play, the introductions of fan favourites Kyra Cooney-Cross and Stina Blackstenius only sweetened the refreshingly optimistic mood in the stadium, where Arsenal’s productive, higher tempo football had been well received.

Lina Hurtig would tie up the occasion with a bow as she headed home from Katie McCabe’s corner for her first competitive goal since November 2023. Having missed an extended period through injury, her return to the scoresheet is a welcome one.

Perhaps the best aspect of Arsenal’s performance was that they continued to push right to the very end, being rewarded for their troubles with a 94th minute penalty. Alessia Russo tucked it away, sending the Emirates into raptures, the thrilled home support unphased by a bitterly cold north London evening.

The visitors would suffer another blow as forward Aisha Masaka was carried off the pitch on a stretcher with what looked to be a serious injury.

Brighton’s wait for a league win over Arsenal will be extended once again, the Seagulls now unsuccesful in 14 attempts.