London, 5 March 2026 (dpa/MIA) - 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 & Hove Albion on Wednesday.

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

Even the winner owed to more than a stroke of fortune as Saka’s shot in the ninth minute bamboozled goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, who will wonder how he let the ball slip through him.

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 in a 2-2 with lowly Nottingham Forest, one more fixture crossed out in their race to the finish.

Forest twice came from behind twice to rescue the draw at the Etihad Stadium. A header from Rodri just after the hour put City back on course for victory after Morgan Gibbs-White cancelled out Antoine Semenyo’s opener but Elliot Anderson levelled for a second time.

Now seven points behind Arsenal, City do still have a game in hand on the Gunners but manager Pep Guardiola will rue another game in which his side lost control in the second half.

Forest meanwhile stayed out of the bottom three, albeit only on goal difference. They are still to win in the league under new manager Vitor Pereira but on this evidence they a fighting chance of survival.

Elsewhere, Will Osula came off the bench to blast 10-man Newcastle to a dramatic 2-1 victory over Manchester United as Michael Carrick suffered defeat for the first time in his interim reign.

The 22-year-old Dane struck in spectacular style in the 90th minute of a pulsating encounter to end both Carrick's eight-game unbeaten run and the Magpies' return of three successive Premier League defeats in style.

Jacob Ramsey's dismissal for a second bookable offence sparked a frenzied conclusion to the first half during which Anthony Gordon put the home side ahead from the penalty spot before Casemiro restored parity.

Joao Pedro scored a hat-trick as Chelsea boosted their Champions League qualification hopes with a handsome 4-1 win at Aston Villa.

Pedro's first Premier League treble saw Liam Rosenior's side climb into the top five and move just three points behind a faltering Villa side in fourth.

Cole Palmer also scored on a memorable night for the Blues, who showed spirit to come from behind after Douglas Luiz’s opener.

Crysencio Summerville continued his one-man mission to save West Ham United with the goal which sank Fulham 1-0. The in-form Dutch winger pounced on a dreadful mistake from Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno for his seventh goal in his last 10 appearances.