Football

Arsenal went into this weekend hoping to match a 123-year club record by winning an eighth game in a row at the beginning of a season.

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What they did not envisage was an emphatic loss to a Brighton and Hove Albion team who have enjoyed a famous week.

Three days after recovering from two goals down to dump Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford, Fabian Hurzeler’s high-flying Seagulls inflicted a worst defeat on Arsenal in three years, running out 3-0 winners on England’s south coast.

It was a result that struck the first blow of any sort to Arsenal’s hopes of retaining their title, and it will give Mikel Arteta plenty of food for thought over the coming international break.

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Arsenal stats vs. Brighton

Brighton scored all three of their goals before the hour mark. Pascal Gross broke the deadlock on 31 minutes before Charalampos Kostoulas made it 2-0. Both of these players scored in the win at Old Trafford this week.

Chema Andres got the third, and Brighton arguably should have won by a greater scoreline in the end.

Brighton hands Arsenal its first loss of the season in DOMINATING fashion with a 3-0 win. 😤 pic.twitter.com/pNKQRUi0Ca

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) September 19, 2026

Arsenal had 60 per cent of the ball but only produced two shots on target in the game, although an expected goals value of 1.58 from 11 shots in total shows that they really should have found the net. Bukayo Saka missed a good chance just before Kostoulas scored, and Kai Havertz wasted a late opening when through on goal. Brighton, by contrast, had 17 attempts, with five on target, but an xG of only 1.30, as per Fotmob.

The Gunners managed more touches in the Brighton box than their opponents did, which gives some indication as to the effectiveness of the home side’s defending inside their own area. A total of five blocks, 11 interceptions and 20 clearances tells you all you need to know about Brighton’s rearguard.

FT: Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 Arsenal#PL pic.twitter.com/xSvusoR8ER

— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) September 19, 2026

This was the first time Arsenal had lost a game after conceding three or more goals since Manchester United won 3-2 at Emirates Stadium in January. It was also the first league match in which they found themselves three goals down since a 3-0 home defeat in May 2023… to Brighton. That was their most recent heaviest league loss until today.

This was also Arsenal’s biggest league defeat as reigning champions since a 3-0 reverse at Everton way back in October 1989, according to Opta, which underlines how rare it is for a team to produce a performance such as Brighton did.

Arteta’s side only created two clear opportunities throughout, and 232 of their 502 attempted passes were made inside their own half. Brighton’s press, so effective against United, was similarly too much for the Gunners.

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Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson said on Sky Sports: «Brighton have been absolutely unbelievable.

«We have a bad habit in England where, if one of the big boys get beat, we always blame it on their performance and not on the other team.

«No, these have been absolutely outstanding. They’ve made Arsenal look poor.»

Brighton goal-scorer Gross said to BBC Sport: «I thought we showed great intensity, waited for mistakes and punished Arsenal. It was a strong performance, a very complete performance.

«We won the ball high up and attacked really fast. After the last two wins, we are full of confidence and wanted to finish really strong before the international break.»

Mikel Arteta reaction

Arteta told BBC’s Match of the Day: «First of all, congratulations to Brighton.

«I am really disappointed. In the first 20 or 30 minutes, the number of technical errors put us constantly under pressure. It was all related to the start.

«It’s a big lesson to learn. What the team has done since the World Cup has been remarkable. But today, there is a lot to learn.

«Credit to Brighton for what they have done. I think we were very far from our level. The international break means we have more time to swallow because it’s very, very painful. In any game, you can get highly exposed if don’t do what you need to do.»

He added to Sky Sports: «A really disappointing result and performance. Brighton were another gear up from us. We were extremely poor technically and not respecting the game.

«Credit to Brighton. They went up another gear. It’s a big lesson to learn. It doesn’t take away from what the team has done the last few weeks. But now, we have to make sure we learn the lesson, because this can happen again.»

Arsenal next match

The Premier League pauses after this weekend for an extended international break. That means Arsenal are next in action on October 10 at home to Leeds United.

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