At the start of the season, Arsenal looked as strong as ever, especially after smashing Manchester City in the Community Shield and after a 1-0 turnaround against Chelsea. The Gunners looked unstoppable and the Premier League’s title was their to loose. But suddenly, Brighton happened. Mikel Arteta’s men got dismantled easily. Too easily for a team destined to win the England title again and to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League. Just what happened on Saturday afternoon in Brighton?Arsenal humiliated at the party: Brighton stun champions in 125th anniversary bashIf you ask Arteta, the answer is simple.“From our side there were certain basics that you need to accomplish in football, especially in the Premier League that we were very far from. In the first duel, the second ball, that put the game, especially how direct they were, in a really difficult place for us. For us it's crystal clear. We knew, and we talked for two days about what we have to do here. We play the fourth away game in a really short period of time“ said Arteta after the game. 20.6% – Among goalkeepers that have conceded 100+ goals in the Premier League, only Hans Segers (22% – 36/164) has conceded a higher proportion from outside the penalty area than David Raya (20.6% – 33/160). Range. pic.twitter.com/s9Dr2tZbr5— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 19, 2026 On the pitch it looked like Arsenal were the ones in blue jerseys. They were unusually bad and their defense was at the forefront. Before Saturday, the Gunners had conceded three goals in a Premier League match just twice in almost three years. So far, Brighton is the most effective high-pressing league team so far this season. They have basically beaten Arsenal with their weapons. The pressing was relentless and non-stop. Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler packed his team with running power: wingers Diego Gomez and Maxim De Cuyper pressed constantly. In midfield, Yasin Ayari and Pascal Gross can run all day and that’s what they did. As for the goals, two of them came from outside the box, and it was an excellent individual effort from both Gross and Kostoulas. The third one, ironically came from a corner kick, right out of Arsenal’s playbook.Pickpockets, hot locker rooms, fewer massage beds… just Arteta thingsIn fact, an experienced coach like Arteta was able to sense the trouble right from the first minute.“From the first throw-in you could sense it, it was so clear. We put ourselves in trouble one time, two times, three times and we need to get out of that much quicker than that. That's one of the biggest lessons that we have to take from the game today. That's not going to take away what the team has done and the boys have done in the last six or seven weeks since coming back from the World Cup because with 18 players coming back, what we've done and the way we've competed and the amount of games we've won has been remarkable, but this is a big lesson for all of us to understand what it takes to win at this level“ concluded the Spaniard.PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 5FridayBrentford – Chelsea 3-0 (0-0)/Anthony 61, Thiago 83, Carvalho 90+4/SaturdayTottenham – Aston Villa 1-3 (0-1)/Gallagher 87 – Manzambi 45+4, Jackson 67, Buendia 79/Brighton – Arsenal 3-0 (2-0)/Gross 31, Kostoulas 45, Andres 57/Everton – Ipswich 1-0 (1-0)/Barry 11/Newcastle – Hull 2-1 (2-0)/Willock 3, Hall 7 – Ali Cho 67/Nott Forest – Coventry 0-1 (0-0)/DaSilva 55/Sunday16.00: (3.15) Bournemouth (3.60) Liverpool (2.20)16.00: (1.80) Leeds (3.60) Crystal Palace (4.60)16.00: (1.30) Man City (5.50) Sunderland (10.0)18.30: (3.40) Fulham (3.50) Man.Utd. (2.10)***odds are subject to change***
18