Brighton beat Arsenal 3-0 as Man City top Premier League without playing

Brighton delivered a shock 3-0 victory over Arsenal at the Amex Stadium, inflicting the Gunners’ first Premier League loss of their title defence. Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas opened the scoring with long-range strikes in the first half, and Chema Andres completed the win with a headed finish at the back post from Gross’s corner. The manner of the third goal drew attention because set-piece defending is normally a strength for Arsenal, and the concession underscored an uncharacteristically sloppy display from Mikel Arteta’s side. Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler highlighted his team’s approach after the game, noting that only one side “tried to play football” in reference to the match and their narrow defeat to Arsenal at the same ground last season. The result continues a strong spell for Brighton, who had beaten Coventry 5-0 in the league the previous weekend and recovered from two goals down in midweek to knock Manchester United out of the English League Cup with a 3-2 away win. Arsenal had previously struggled against Brighton, who were the last team to hand the Gunners a heavy defeat, beating them 3-0 at the Emirates in May 2023. Manchester City, who had also won their opening four league games, can move three points clear at the top of the Premier League by beating Sunderland on Sunday, meaning the defeat has immediate implications for the early title race standings.