🔬 The Debrief as Brighton beat Spurs and West Ham stun Arsenal | OneFootball

Both north London clubs suffered defeat Thursday evening as the Premier League’s Christmas fixtures came to a close. Here is what we made of the events in the two games.

What happened?

Arsenal missed a huge chance to reclaim top-spot in the Premier League as West Ham stormed into the Emirates and scored two goals against the run of play to snatch the victory.

Meanwhile, Tottenham found themselves 4-0 down away to Brighton, and while it finished 4-2 after a late Spurs flurry, Ange’s men were never really in the game.

Player of the day

There is only one man for this award, and its Brighton forward João Pedro.

The Brazilian scored two goals from the penalty spot and was a thorn in the side of the Tottenham defenders all throughout the night. With a little luck, he probably could have finished with one or two more goals.

Stats of the day

It was Brighton who were the high-flying team today. With another impressive showing in attack, the Seagulls have now scored a goal in all but one of the 19 Premier League games they have played in this season – only Arsenal have kept a clean sheet against them.

Meanwhile, with a win at the Emirates, it is the first time in David Moyes’ managerial career that he has won a Premier League away game against either Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool or Arsenal. The Hammers boss had failed to win in his previous 72 matches against those clubs.

What this means

The loss for Arsenal means they may head into the new year in second place, having missed their chance to leapfrog league leaders Liverpool.

Tottenham remain in the picture of the top-four race, but defeat on the south coast means they remain in fifth for the time being.

In more positive news, West Ham and Brighton remain truly in the thick of the race for Europe, as both sides sit in the top-eight. The Hammers are now only four points off of Manchester City in fourth.

What comes next?

The fixtures will continue to come thick and fast as another round of Premier League games will take place between December 30-January 2.