Brighton & Hove Albion ended Arsenal’s perfect Premier League start in emphatic fashion after defeating Mikel Arteta’s side 3-0 at the Amex Stadium on Saturday. Pascal Groß, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andrés were on target as the Seagulls produced a dominant performance.
Softfootball believes the result was a major setback for Arsenal, who arrived on the south coast after Arsenal Maintain Winning Run With 2-0 Victory Over Sunderland, having won their opening four league matches. However, Brighton quickly exposed weaknesses in the Gunners’ defence and midfield, with Groß opening the scoring in the 31st minute before Kostoulas doubled the advantage shortly before half-time.
Chema Andrés then made it 3-0 in the 57th minute, rising highest from a corner to head the ball into the bottom corner. Arsenal struggled to create a response, while David Raya was forced into important saves to prevent Brighton from extending their lead. Yalcouyé also struck the crossbar late on.
Despite Arsenal having 60% possession and registering a higher xG of 1.58, Brighton were more clinical in front of goal.
Match Statistics
| Statistic | Brighton | Arsenal |
| Expected Goals (xG) | — | 1.58 |
| Shots on Target | 2 | 5 |
| Shots Off Target | 4 | 9 |
| Blocked Shots | 5 | 3 |
| Possession | 40% | 60% |
| Corners | 5 | 6 |
| Offsides | 0 | 2 |
| Fouls | 13 | 10 |
| Throw-ins | 12 | 24 |
| Yellow Cards | 4 | 1 |
| Crosses | 5 | 7 |
| Goalkeeper Saves | 2 | 2 |
| Goal Kicks | 9 | 12 |
Arsenal Player Ratings
| Player | Rating |
| David Raya | 4.5 |
| Jurrien Timber | 4.5 |
| Ezri Konsa | 4.0 |
| Gabriel Magalhães | 5.0 |
| Riccardo Calafiori | 5.5 |
| Bruno Guimarães | 4.0 |
| Declan Rice | 5.0 |
| Martin Ødegaard | 5.0 |
| Bukayo Saka | 5.5 |
| Kai Havertz | 4.5 |
| Christos Tzolis | 5.0 |
Brighton players rating
| Player | Rating | |
| Bart Verbruggen | 7.5 | |
| Ferdi Kadioglu | 7.0 | |
| Pascal Struijk | 7.2 | |
| Olivier Boscagli | 7.3 | |
| Maxim De Cuyper | 7.4 | |
| Chema Andrés | 7.5 | |
| Pascal Groß | 8.3 | |
| Diego Gómez | 7.1 | |
| Yasin Ayari | 7.2 | |
| Ferdi Kadioglu | 7.0 | |
| Charalampos Kostoulas | 8.0 | |
| Costinha | 6.8 | |
| Georginio Rutter | 6.8 | |
| Michael Svoboda | 6.7 | |
| Matt O’Riley | 7.0 | |
| Malick Yalcouyé | 6.9 |
The defeat ends Arsenal’s unbeaten league start, while Brighton continue their impressive early-season form.
