Arsenal extended their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri, as they beat Brighton 2-0 to reach the quarterfinals of the 2025-26 League Cup on Wednesday.
MORE — League Cup fixtures & results | Quarterfinal draw
Mikel Arteta’s side was somewhat fortunate to head into halftime still on level terms after the Seagulls out-shot them 10-3 (1.17 to 0.22 xG), but the Gunners were far and away the better side after the break and didn’t have to wait long to take the lead.
Nwaneri fit a low shot through a sea of bodies and tucked it inside the far post in the 57th minute, and Saka tucked away a rebound after 17-year-old Andre Annous was denied a goal on his senior debut.
Arsenal vs Brighton live updates - by Andy Edwards
Arsenal vs Brighton final score: 2-0
Goalscorers: Ethan Nwaneri (57'), Bukayo Saka (76')
GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Brighton: Saka cleans up the mess (76')
Super-sub Bukayo Saka gets Arsenal one step closer to a trip to the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup 👊 pic.twitter.com/Qnvt2BdCIw
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 29, 2025
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Brighton: Nwaneri fits one through traffic and inside the far post (57')
ETHAN NWANERI BREAKS THE DEADLOCK FOR ARSENAL AGAINST BRIGHTON 👊 pic.twitter.com/E71Uov9oZK
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 29, 2025
Arsenal starting lineup
Arrizabalaga - White, Mosquera, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly - Merino, Norgaard, Eze - Nwaneri, Dowman, Annous
Brighton starting lineup
Steele - Kadioglu, Van Hecke, Coppola, De Cuyper - Baleba, Boscagli, Kostoulas - Gomez, Rutter, Tzimas
How to watch Arsenal vs Brighton live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3:45pm ET Wednesday (October 29)
Venue: Emirates Stadium — London
TV Channel/Streaming: Paramount+
Sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table, and also perfect in the Champions League through three games, Mikel Arteta has rotated expertly in the opening months of the season as big injuries have not halted Arsenal’s trophy charge. He saw his side edge past Crystal Palace at the weekend but they may have lost a couple of big players to injury, so we will perhaps see Arteta rotate even more against Brighton.
As for the Seagulls, Fabian Hurzeler’s side lost 4-2 at Manchester United on Saturday in a wild clash. They looked like they might surge all the way back from 3-0 down to grab something but big defensive mistakes cost them dear. And that has been the story of their season so far. Brighton are extremely talented in attack but they have to improve at the other end of the pitch if they’re going to challenge for European qualification and go far in competitions like this.
Arsenal team news, focus
The main injury concern is over both William Saliba and Declan Rice who came off against Palace at the weekend. After injuries to key players Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz already this season (plus Bukayo Saka missing some time) Arteta won’t risk Saliba in this game. But the good news is that Rice is available. The likes of Kepa, Piero Hincapie, Christian Norgaard, Max Dowman, Ethan Nwaneri, Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Mikel Merino will surely all start this game and that is a pretty good ‘B team’ to have for this competition and underlines Arsenal’s amazing squad depth. Gabriel Martinelli could be struggling for this game after feeling some discomfort late on against Palace, while Riccardo Calafiori is fit but unlikely to feature.
Brighton team news, focus
The Seagulls will go for it, because it’s the only way they know how. Hurzeler is struggling with the balance of this Brighton side as they’ve scored 14 goals but let in 15 in the Premier League so far this season. Danny Welbeck continues to roll back the years and score goals, while Yankuba Minteh is a huge threat out wide. With Kaoru Mitoma and Brajan Gruda out, we may see Tom Watson or Charalampos Kostoulas start this game. Diego Gomez is also likely to start in central midfield and he scored four goals (all of them beauties) in Brighton’s last round of this competition, a 6-0 win at Barnsley.
Arsenal vs Brighton prediction
This feels like it could go all the way to penalty kicks. Arsenal have their eyes focused on the Premier League and Champions League this season, but can they pass up a chance to reach the last eight of the League Cup? They will get it done, somehow, to advance. Arsenal 1-1 Brighton (Arsenal win 4-2 on penalty kicks).
