Brighton 3-0 Arsenal; Seagulls hand champions first defeat of the season

Brighton & Hove Albion stunned reigning champions Arsenal with a 3-0 victory at the Amex, ending the Gunners' nine-game Premier League winning run.

Pascal Groß opened the scoring before Charalampos Kostoulas doubled Brighton's advantage just before half-time, with Chema Andrés adding a third shortly after the break.

Arsenal struggled to find a response as Brighton delivered an impressive all-round performance, with the result lifting the Seagulls to third in the Premier League table.

The Gunners manager reflected on their loss after the match saying : "we were very far from the standards required to win the game."

Brighton started brightly and almost took the lead when Kostoulas tested David Raya with an early effort, only for the Arsenal goalkeeper to produce a fingertip save.

The hosts eventually broke the deadlock in the 31st minute.

Kostoulas found Groß on the edge of the area, and the midfielder was given time to turn before firing towards goal.

His effort beat Raya and clipped the inside of the right-hand post on its way in, giving Brighton a deserved lead.

The teenager was involved again before the break as Brighton doubled their advantage.

Diego Gómez carried the ball forwards before finding Kostoulas around 25 yards from goal, with Arsenal's defence backing off.

Kostoulas took full advantage, unleashing a powerful strike into the bottom-left corner to send Brighton into half-time with a 2-0 lead.

It was the first time Arsenal had trailed by two goals at half-time in a Premier League match since May 2025.

The champions had struggled to create clear openings, registering an xG of just 0.52 from their three first-half attempts.

Arsenal needed a fast start after the interval, but Brighton struck again in the 57th minute.

Kostoulas' effort was blocked behind for a corner, and Groß delivered a dangerous cross into the six-yard box.

Chema Andrés rose highest at the back post and powered his header into the goal via the post, putting Brighton 3-0 ahead.

It was another contribution from Groß, who had already scored once and assisted Kostoulas, taking his Premier League goal involvements for the season to six.

Arsenal struggled to mount any meaningful comeback despite finishing the match with the higher xG, 1.58 to Brighton's 1.33.

Kai Havertz missed Arsenal's best opportunity, while Raya was required to make further saves as Brighton continued to threaten.

The Seagulls also struck the woodwork again as they pushed for a fourth, but three goals were more than enough to secure a memorable victory.

For Arsenal, the result brings their nine-match winning streak to an emphatic end and gives Mikel Arteta's side plenty to reflect on during the international break.

Brighton head into the break with 10 points, sitting third in the table with other fixtures still to be played this weekend.

The Seagulls will next face Sunderland as they look to maintain their impressive start to the campaign.

Arsenal will look to respond when they take on Leeds United in their next Premier League fixture.