Brighton and Hove Albion secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Arsenal at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, ending the Gunners' perfect start to the Premier League season. The defeat marked Arsenal's first loss of the campaign, halting a run in which they had won their opening four league matches and seven games in all competitions.
Mikel Arteta’s side struggled to cope with the hosts’ intensity and pressing throughout the first half. Pascal Gross opened the scoring in the 31st minute, firing a low shot into the bottom corner after Brighton created space around the Arsenal penalty area. Just before half-time, Charalampos Kostoulas doubled the hosts' advantage with a powerful long-range effort that also found the bottom corner.
Arsenal briefly threatened to reduce the deficit shortly before Kostoulas' goal, but Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen made a crucial save to deny Bukayo Saka a close-range effort. The visitors failed to capitalize on that chance, leaving them trailing by two goals at the break.
Brighton continued to dominate possession after the restart, extending their lead in the 57th minute. Chema Andrés headed home from a corner kick delivered by Gross, effectively sealing the result as the hosts maintained control of the match. Arsenal struggled to create clear opportunities in the second half, while Brighton could have added further goals before the final whistle.
The result ends Arsenal's hopes of beginning their title defense with eight consecutive victories. Following the match, Brighton moved up to third place in the Premier League table, while Arsenal remained above them on goal difference.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
