GUNNERS IN SAKA RACE

ARSENAL extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to seven points after Bukayo Saka’s first-half goal saw them scrape a 1-0 win over Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

- BY PAUL ANDERSON

EARLY BIRD Saka got the only goal of the game in the ninth minute

This was a potentiality pivotal night in the title race, but Mikel Arteta’s side were a long way from their best, sloppy and slow in attack, careless with the ball and altogether too accommodating in letting Brighton play through them in midfield.

A more optimistic reading would be that despite being unable to find any fluency, they dug in doggedly and held off opponents who were superior to them in almost every area.

Most crucially of all, this was a third league win in a row, and on a night when Manchester City dropped points at home, one more fixture crossed out in their race to the finish.