Arsene Wenger breaks Alex Ferguson's record, Alexis Sanchez magic and early morning spag bol... things you missed during Arsenal's victory over Brighton at the Emirates

  • Arsenal pulled off an assured 2-0 victory over Brighton at the Emirates 
  • Nacho Monreal and Alex Iwobi were among the goals as the Gunners ran riot 
  • Arsene Wenger marked his 21st anniversary in charge of the club
  • The Frenchman also broke an opponent record held by Sir Alex Ferguson
  • Alexis Sanchez pulled off some magic while Martin Keown gave dietary insight 

The positive vibes continue over at the Emirates, after Arsenal put in an assured performance to beat Premier League newcomers Brighton 2-0.

Nacho Monreal scored a rare goal for his side, while attacker Alex Iwobi hit the back of the net for the first time in nine months.

But what about the other little details, the things you didn't see? Alexis Sanchez sprinkling some magic, or Arsene Wenger's team dietary habits being laid bare for instance? Sportsmail cast an eagle eye over the afternoon's proceedings... 

It was all smiles for Arsenal as they put in a convincing performance against Brighton

It was all smiles for Arsenal as they put in a convincing performance against Brighton

Arsene Wenger saw his 21st anniversary as manager marked with a comfortable victory

Arsene Wenger saw his 21st anniversary as manager marked with a comfortable victory

 
Arsene Wenger marked 21years as manager

Arsene Wenger marked 21years as manager

Break out the champers, it's celebration time for Arsene


Despite many expecting him to walk away from the Emirates in the summer, Wenger has made it to his 21st anniversary in charge of the Gunners.

The Frenchman was afforded a special section in the match-day programme for a tribute in his honour.

Wenger is the longest serving manager in English football by quite some distance, and is showing no signs of making an exit from the sport any time soon. 

Anniversary AND a record breaker... 

That's not all for Wenger, who took to the match having toppled a record set by his former nemesis Sir Alex Ferguson.

As proven by his 21 years at the helm, Wenger has been around for... well, 21 years. But that's ages - and in that time he's faced a lot of opponents. And we mean a lot.

Brighton became the 45th opposition of the 67-year-old, seeing him surpass Ferguson as the No 1 gaffer in English football to have faced different challengers.

Anybody at home?

It's become a bit of a trend recently, but Arsenal kicked off in this midday fixture... in front of hardly anyone.

Videos soon hit social media of the half empty Emirates, with only the travelling Brighton faithful providing the atmosphere as kick off approach.

One journalist took to Twitter to suggest Gunners fans have presumably been unable to afford alarm clocks after forking out hefty amounts for their season tickets.

He's not wrong... 

Banners backing the boss?

Pro-Wenger banners hanging around the Emirates!? Surely they're a thing of the past, you gasp.

It's easy to get caught up in the hysteria of the ever-present 'Wenger Out' brigade, but plenty of fans at the Emirates are still backing the legendary boss.

Banners backing Arsene Wenger are still present at the Emirates, despite persistent unrest

Banners backing Arsene Wenger are still present at the Emirates, despite persistent unrest

One banner taking pride of place in the stands declared, 'football should be an art,' along with an imposed image of Wenger.

Very fitting for a 21st anniversary. Bravo. 

Alexis Sanchez's sorcery goes down a treat

When the Chilean is in top form, he's unplayable. No doubt about it.

Hitting top gear towards the end of the match, Sanchez picked out Alex Iwobi with a simply outrageous back-heeled flick. 

The touch showed a level of vision which none of his counterparts around him could imagine and, as expected, social media lapped it up... 

Alexis Sanchez showed his outrageous vision by picking out Alex Iwobi without even looking

Alexis Sanchez showed his outrageous vision by picking out Alex Iwobi without even looking

The Chilean's assist was a class apart and left the Brighton defence comically dumbfounded

The Chilean's assist was a class apart and left the Brighton defence comically dumbfounded

Early morning Spag bol...

Speaking from the commentary box Gunners legend Martin Keown let fans in on a bit of Arsenal insight when speaking of the dietary regime under Arsene Wenger.

The former centre back admitted Wenger always wanted his men to stick to the same routine of pre-match spagetti... which wouldn't change regardless of the kick-off.

That means, for matches such at this one with a midday kick-off, Wenger expects his men to chow down on tomatoey-flavoured carbs at 8am... what a delightful treat. 

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