Arsenal’s perfect start to their Premier League title defence came to an abrupt end on Saturday as Brighton & Hove Albion stunned the champions with a convincing 3-0 victory.
Mikel Arteta’s side arrived on the south coast in impressive form, having won all seven of their matches in all competitions this season. However, they were outplayed by a confident Brighton side that maintained its strong start to the campaign.
Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andres were all on target as Brighton exposed an Arsenal defence that had looked difficult to break down in the opening weeks of the season.
The defeat was Arsenal’s heaviest in more than three years and marked the third consecutive season in which the Premier League champions have suffered defeat at the Amex, following previous losses for Liverpool and Manchester City.
Brighton entered the game full of confidence after becoming the first team in 50 years to overturn a two-goal deficit and defeat Manchester United at Old Trafford in the League Cup in midweek.
Fabian Hurzeler’s men attacked from the opening whistle and were rewarded after 31 minutes when Gross fired a powerful effort that went in off the inside of the post.
Arsenal struggled to contain Brighton’s attacks and were punished again shortly before half-time. Kostoulas found space on the edge of the box before calmly picking his spot to beat David Raya and double the hosts’ advantage.
The visitors were unable to produce the expected response after the break. Instead, Brighton extended their lead just before the hour mark when Andres was left unmarked inside the six-yard box and headed in Gross’s corner.
