BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI – Mikel Arteta’s flawless start with Arsenal to the new Premier League campaign has come to an abrupt and surprising end as the defending champions were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by a relentless Brighton & Hove Albion side on Saturday afternoon.
In condemning the champions to their most humiliating defeat in years, Brighton, celebrating their 125th anniversary, were simply too intense for Arsenal to handle exposed the Gunners’ uncharacteristic defensive vulnerabilities, leaving Manager Arteta with significant issues to address ahead of the international break.
Quite unexpectedly, Chema Andres, Pascal Gross, and Charalampos Kostoulas demonstrated composure in breaching the Gunners’ usually impenetrable defence to inflict the heaviest defeat in more than three years on the visitors.
Arriving at the south coast in formidable form, having won all seven games in all competitions this season, the evening turned sour for Arsenal as Brighton had other ideas about maintaining their fine start to the campaign It is the third consecutive season that the Premier League champions have lost at the Amex, after Liverpool and Manchester City in the past two years
Full of confidence after becoming the first side in 50 years to come from 2-0 down to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in the League Cup in midweek, the Fabian Hurzeler’s side went at Arsenal from the start but had to wait until 31 minutes for the opener when Gross crashed a shot in off the inside of the post.
Arsenal were punished for allowing too much space on the edge of their area again just before half-time when Kostoulas this time picked his spot to beat David Raya.
Rather than a rousing second-half response, the visitors fell further behind on the hour mark as Andres was afforded the space to head in Gross’s corner inside the six-yard box for Brighton’s 16th goal in five league games this season. The defeat is Arsenal’s heaviest in any competition since April 2023.
With the upcoming international break at hand, Arteta will be hoping his players return fit and fresh as they look to rebuild their momentum and address a threadbare right side of the team’s defence.
The Next round of matches will have Arsenal hosting Leeds on October 10, while Brighton aim to continue their superb form when they travel to face Sunderland on the same day.
