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Champions outclassed! Brighton end Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the season
19th September, 2026 07:10 PM
Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the league came crumbling down on Saturday, September 19, 2026, as a determined Brighton side outclassed the reigning champions 3-0 at the Amex.
Fabian Hürzeler’s high-flying hosts scored twice in the opening half before stunning the Gunners with a third goal just before the hour mark courtesy of Andrés Xhema’s stunning header.
The win saw the Seagulls maintain a bright start to the league, highlighted with high-scoring wins against Aston Villa that saw them averaging 13 goals, which has seen the club score in opening games. The team also secured a dominant 5-0 victory away against Coventry City on September 13, 2026.
Gross set the tone
Pascal Gros set up the winning run with a superb opener that just evaded David Raya’s despairing save at his near post for the opener. The goal was the 35-year-old veteran’s strike against an English Premier League giant, coming after his strikes against Man United and Chelsea.
Charalampos Kostoulas then doubled the lead at the stroke of halftime with a sublime shot from outside the box.
His goal came after one of Arsenal’s forays at goal ended with Saka failing to apply the telling touch to beat Bart Verbruggen following a well-laid counterattack from a Brighton corner kick.
The goal left Arsenal with a mountain to climb as the Gunners stared at the end of their long unbeaten record of nine games that stretched since their last defeat to Manchester City.
The scoreline also marked the first time the champions had trailed a league match by 2+ goals at half-time for the first time since May 2025.
Bad day in office
A bad day in the office for Mikel Arteta’s team was sealed 12 minutes after the restart as Chema Andrés craned high to head home the hosts’ third from close range.
The goal was allowed to stand despite remonstrations from Raya, who sought the referee to lodge a complaint as a stunned Arsenal trudged off the centre circle for the third time.
Mikel Arteta responded with changes, as Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, and Eberechi Eze entered the fray for Ødegaard, Guimarães, and Timber, who were hauled off. The entertaining, end-to-end stuff saw either side still wanting more from the encounter.
Arsenal had a late chance with Verbruggen solid to deny Havertz, while the hosts saw a shot deflect off a Brighton player.
Afterwards, David Raya palmed out Matt O’Riley’s effort after being left through on goal for what could have been the hosts’ fourth goal, sealing a rare afternoon where Arsenal were the out-of-sorts opponents.
