Arsenal’s perfect start to the Premier League season came to a stunning end on Saturday as Brighton & Hove Albion defeated the Gunners 3-0 at the Amex Stadium.
Arsenal had won their opening four league matches and were aiming to maintain their position at the top of the table with another victory, but Brighton quickly seized control of the encounter and exposed gaps in the visitors’ defence.
Pascal Groß opened the scoring for Brighton before Charalampos Kostoulas doubled the hosts’ advantage before half-time, leaving Arsenal with a two-goal deficit at the break.
The Gunners struggled to respond after the restart as Brighton continued to threaten, with Chema Andrés heading in the third goal to complete a convincing victory for Fabian Hürzeler’s side.
The defeat ended Arsenal’s perfect league start and saw the Gunners drop from first place, while Manchester City now have the opportunity to move three points clear when they face Sunderland on Sunday.
For Brighton, the emphatic victory provided a major boost and moved Hürzeler’s side into the upper end of the Premier League table after another impressive performance.
Arsenal will now look to regroup after their first league defeat of the season, while Brighton can take confidence from a result that brought the Gunners’ unbeaten start to a decisive end.