Defeat of Seagulls of title challenge yardstick for Gunners? Definitely maybe

After Manchester City stuttered at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday, here was a chance for Arsenal to go five points ahead of the reigning champions, and they did not pass it up.

But this was arguably more than a win that keeps the time race bubbling nicely. It was a yardstick, coming as it did against a Brighton team who had won on their past three visits to the Emirates, twice in the Premier League and once in the League Cup. Arsenal’s 3-0 loss last season effectively signalled the end of their title challenge.

Or was it? The best answer is a cautious ‘maybe’.

They had  the better of the possession stats against the visiting Seagulls, which very few teams manage to do, and they became the first team since Fulham in February to prevent Brighton from scoring.

There are caveats, though. After Mikel Arteta rested most of his first team against PSV Eindhoven in midweek, this was a mostly fresh and full-strength Arsenal against an injury-ravaged Brighton who played on Thursday in a Europa League match against Marseille that went to the wire, and who have failed to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League since that last visit here.

Still, as they say, you can only beat what is put in front of you, and beat Brighton they did. It was a stronger Arsenal than last year, when William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko were missing, and before the signings of Declan Rice, David Raya and Kai Havertz. Three of those, at least, represent upgrades over players in the team beaten 3-0. Rice, in particular, looked twice the player here that he ever looked against Brighton in a West Ham shirt.

And it was not as strong a Brighton as last season. Roberto De Zerbi, their head coach, pointed out ahead of the game that his side had lost three