Arsenal's Perfect Start Ends With 3-0 Defeat at Brighton

Arsenal's perfect start to the 2026/27 Premier League season ended with a shock 3-0 defeat at Brighton on Saturday. The loss at the Amex Stadium was Arsenal's first in the league since April and ended a seven-match winning streak across all competitions to begin the campaign. Manager Mikel Arteta called the result a "big lesson" for his squad. He stated his team was "very far" from accomplishing the necessary basics and cited numerous technical errors that put them under immediate pressure. "From the first throw-in you could sense it," Arteta said. "We put ourselves in trouble one time, two times, three times and we needed to get out of it much quicker than that." Brighton dominated from the opening minutes. Pascal Gross opened the scoring with a strike from outside the penalty area. Charalampos Kostoulas doubled the lead before halftime with another long-range effort. Chema Andrés sealed the victory in the second half, heading in from a Gross corner. The defeat was Arsenal's heaviest as reigning top-flight champions since 1989. It also ended their pursuit of an eighth consecutive victory to open the season, which would have been their best start in 123 years.