3 standout players from Arsenal's hard-fought win over Brighton

Of those who made it to the pitch here, the boss saw some high-class performances that might buoy him ahead of the Aston Villa clash.

Arsenal put in a good effort versus Brighton; a welcome, upbeat display to shift the cobwebs after a few drab outings in recent weeks. It still ended with the usual, nerve-shredding tension to which the home fans are now all too accustomed, but the Gunners nonetheless deserved their win and offered hope for a swift upturn in performance levels.  

That it happened without a number of key players in their backline like Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber (what’s new?) only adds to the good impression made; there are a few particular stars who earned special credit for making it happen.

Here are three standout Arsenal players from the 2-1 home win over Brighton.

1. Declan Rice

Rice has barely put a foot wrong since his arrival in 2023, but he is playing like a man possessed this season.

The £105m star really is making his price tag look cheap with one brilliant performance after another in a title-chasing Arsenal team. Against Brighton, he took things to a new level via lung-busting runs down the right flank and some excellent tackles/interceptions to stop the away frontline in its tracks as momentum swung in their favour.

To produce such quality in an unfamiliar role, one that was surely foisted upon him at short notice, is a testament to his attitude, commitment and rich talent. He topped it off with a wicked delivery that forced the own goal, but the assist only tells a small part of the story from his truly exceptional game as the Timber replacement.

2. Martin Odegaard

The captain brushed off flak for his recent efforts with a top-class showing that did much to secure all three points.

As per Squawka, Odegaard had his best creative output of the season versus Brighton, fashioning five chances (his most in a Premier League game in 2025/26). That first-half strike also marked his first of the campaign across all competitions and it gives hope that he might yet regain his best form after a few injury troubles of late.

Critics may point out that this fixture suited him and, thus, one should not get too carried away with praise – Brighton did cede a lot of midfield control to Arsenal. But you can only play what is in front of you and the team themselves showed how there is no such thing as an easy match in this league (at least not for the Gunners, it seems).  

The going got tough here and Arteta needed his leaders to step up to the mark; Odegaard did so in style.  

3. David Raya

The definition of a standout player as he was barely involved for much of the game, then he took the fans’ breath away with a truly astonishing save.

That miraculous touch to tip Yankuba Minteh’s shot over is as good a stop as one is ever likely to see and it bears great significance: only for him, there is every chance Arsenal would have dropped two points and surrendered their lead at the top.

It also reminds the home crowd – as if a reminder were needed – that David Raya ranks among the very best goalkeepers in world football. His acrobatic save impressed visually but it is also worthy of more credit considering how little he had to do before then; he still never switched off and pulled off something quite miraculous when it was needed most.

He also did well, as usual, when passing out from the back and otherwise went under the radar, only making his shot-stopping all the more commendable.