Brighton halt Arsenal's perfect start after beating the champions.

Arsenal had started their Premier League title defense in excellent form, winning their first four league matches and remaining unbeaten across all competitions for seven consecutive games. However, they suffered a major setback to that flawless run in their fifth league match, losing 3-0 at home to Brighton.

The match at the Amex Stadium began cautiously, but Brighton started to take control after the half-hour mark. In the 31st minute, Pascal Groß put the hosts ahead with a superb shot from outside the box; his effort struck the post before finding the back of the net.

Just before halftime, Brighton capitalized on another defensive error by Arsenal. Receiving the ball from Diego Gomez, Charalampos Kostoulas scored with a low shot from about 25 yards out, extending the lead to 2-0. Brighton went into the break with a two-goal advantage. 

Although Arsenal attempted to rally in the second half, the hosts denied them any chance of a comeback. Around the 55th minute, summer signing Chema Andrés scored with a header from a Groß corner. The Spanish midfielder sealed the victory for Brighton by scoring on his full home debut.

Late in the game, Arsenal brought Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres off the bench but failed to reduce the deficit. Kai Havertz had a scoring opportunity, but his shot was saved by Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

This defeat ended Arsenal's perfect winning record in the league. With four wins and one loss from five matches, they have dropped to second place with 12 points. Meanwhile, this marked Brighton's third win in five games, lifting them to third place with 10 points.

Another notable statistic for Arsenal is that they conceded three goals in this single match—equaling the total number of goals they had conceded in their previous four league games combined this season. This was the first time since 2023 that the Gunners lost a match by a margin of three or more goals.