There was a capacity crowd of 3,238 and a glowing welcome for conquering heroes Beth Mead and Leah Williamson. There was Gunnersaurus posing for photos with his black armband, because after all, dinosaurs can feel grief too. More importantly, it was a routine win for last season’s runners-up, a result that looked inexorable from the moment Emma Kullberg was sent off in the sixth minute to reduce Brighton to 10 men. Arsenal made it hard at times, particularly in the first half hour. But as they settled into the game, grooving to old patterns and moves, the luxury of a relatively consistent summer was on full display. Caitlin Foord had a good game on the left wing, Kim Little was instrumental in the middle, Stine Blackstenius looks good and Mead’s restless hunger earned her two second half goals. The press was strong and new signing Lisa Hurtig made a strong debut, a constant menacing presence on the shoulder of the last defender. Thirty-four shots suggest some ineffectiveness in front of goal. But it was also testament to some good goalkeeping and a Brighton defense that faced its numerical deficit with proud, wounded determination. In some ways, the red card hindered rather than helped Arsenal in the short term: breaking their early momentum, forcing Brighton into a defensive crouch, limiting the terms of engagement. Having started with a mid to high line, Brighton quickly fell back with numbers on the edge of their own penalty area, and often even deeper than that. If Foote and Meade had acres of space on the flanks, then space in the center was scarcer and for 20 minutes Arsenal floundered and fidgeted, as if trying to peel a satsuma with cold hands. Emma Kullberg was red-carded after just six minutes for a foul on Stine Blackstenius. Photo: John Sibley/Action Images/Reuters The dismissal itself was a bit of luck. The challenge by Kullberg, who collected Blackstenius on the edge of the penalty area as she raced clear on goal, was a clear red card offence. But replays showed Blackstenius was perhaps a fraction offside as he received the ball. Certainly Kullberg, a member of Sweden’s Euro 2022 squad, looked unhappy as she left the pitch. Hope Powell switched Brighton to a 4-4-1 and stayed for a big night. And yet for a team that was essentially forced to rebuild itself in the summer, Powell had organized Brighton well. They kept their shape and cleared their lines, and where they couldn’t win possession they were determined to at least slow it down. And Arsenal, for all their forward thrust, just lacked a little zip, switches not quick enough and too many extra touches. Indeed, just before the opening goal, Brighton may have even stolen a shock lead, Elizabeth Thurland winning just wide after a blistering counter-attack and cross from the impressive Lee Geum-Min. Almost immediately Little hit a low shot after great work from Foord down the left, and you could feel Arsenal starting to relax a bit. Blackstenius hit the post. Leah Walty pinched Megan Walsh’s fingers with a distant squeal. Vivianne Miedema, who had started as a conventional second striker, began to roam and enter the game. Subscribe to Moving the Goalposts Informative, passionate, entertaining. Subscribe now to our weekly roundup of women’s football. Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Blackstenius ended the game four minutes into the second half, finishing high into the net after Mead’s pass. And so what followed was truly a glorified training session for both teams, as Arsenal hit the ball with one eye in the Champions League against Ajax on Tuesday, and Brighton pulled away and slipped in an attempt to get out of the game with some dignity. Which they did, almost. Meade scored a third after meeting Mitema’s well-disguised cut-back and a fourth late on after weaving his way through the Brighton defence. But for all the running and chasing they had to do, Brighton never gave up. They even managed to beat Arsenal on the counter a few times, something Jonas Eidevall will have noted with interest. Job done, in the evening. But for Arsenal the difficult measures have only just begun.
