Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Brighton was followed by a pointed exchange between the managers, with Fabian Hurzeler claiming only Brighton “tried to play football” and Mikel Arteta responding: “Next question.”
Arsenal’s players and staff framed the 1-0 win at Brighton as a night about doing the job under pressure, after Bukayo Saka’s early goal gave them a lead they protected through a tense finish at the Amex.
The post-match flashpoint came from Brighton’s head coach. Speaking after the game, Hurzeler said: “There was only one team that tried to play football today. I ask one question, do you ever see in a Premier League game the goalkeeper going down three times.”
Saka: “We focused on here and got the result”
Saka, who scored the winner, spoke in similar terms about the importance of the result and the discipline required to see it out. “This feels like a massive win,” he said.He also explained how the away end’s reaction suggested something had happened in the other title-race fixture, while stressing Arsenal kept their attention on the match in front of them. “Obviously, on the pitch, we didn’t know the [Man City] score, but we heard the fans celebrating out of nowhere, so I kind of knew in my head something went well in the other game, but we focused on here & got the result!”
Arteta’s praise for Saka was emphatic, focusing on the scale of his contribution at this stage of his career. “Unbelievable, unbelievable numbers at this age to produce that amount of games, to do it in the manner that he’s done it and the stats that he’s got related to that game, is just incredible, a big night from him,” he said.
Hurzeler’s complaint and Arteta’s response
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler was unhappy with the rhythm of the contest and suggested Arsenal’s approach disrupted it. “There was only one team that tried to play football today,” he said. “I ask one question, do you ever see in a Premier League game the goalkeeper going down three times.”
Asked about Hurzeler’s remarks, Arteta offered no engagement. “Next question,” he replied.
Gabriel on defending the lead
Gabriel Magalhães, speaking to TNT Sports, put the emphasis on the defensive work required to close out a narrow lead at the Amex. “We need to concentrate on every ball!” he said. “At the end, Brighton put every player upfront, we needed to defend well, but I think we did well. We are so happy to keep the clean sheet & get the three points.”
He added: “We know what game we want to play, but here is a very tough place to come & play well. I think what’s more important is the way we competed, get the clean sheet & get the three points. We need to rest now, because we need to go again!”
The result gives Arsenal another away win banked during the run-in, and the reaction afterwards carried the same theme throughout: satisfaction with the points, acknowledgement of the strain, and an immediate focus on recovery before the next game. [