Arsenal suffered their first defeat of the season as an outstanding Brighton side claimed a convincing 3-0 victory over the defending champions at Amex Stadium.
Buoyed by impressive wins against Coventry City and Manchester United, the Seagulls began confidently and immediately unsettled the visitors with their intensity.
Pascal Gross opened the scoring in the 31st minute, striking from the edge of the penalty area and watching his effort find the net via the post.
Arsenal, who had won their previous nine league matches and all seven games in every competition this season, struggled to establish any rhythm and appeared unusually nervous in possession.
The Gunners’ best opportunity of the opening half arrived shortly before the break.
Martin Odegaard’s deflected effort fell to Bukayo Saka inside the area, but the winger failed to convert.
Brighton punished that miss almost immediately.
Charalampos Kostoulas was allowed too much space on the edge of the box, enabling him to turn and fire past David Raya to double the hosts’ advantage.
Mikel Arteta made no changes at half-time, but the expected response never arrived.
Instead, Brighton added a third goal in the 57th minute when Chema Andres headed home from a Gross corner.
Pascal Struijk, making his first Premier League start for Brighton since joining from Leeds United, almost added a fourth but headed wide under pressure.
Kai Havertz had a late opportunity to score a consolation for Arsenal, only to shoot directly at Bart Verbruggen after breaking through on goal.
At the other end, Raya denied Matt O’Riley from extending Brighton’s lead.
The result completed an impressive week for the Seagulls, who scored 11 goals across victories over Coventry, Manchester United and Arsenal.
Arsenal remain second in the table on goal difference, having played one match more than Manchester City, who face Sunderland on Sunday.
Brighton climbed to third, just two points behind the leaders.
It was a sobering performance from Arteta’s side, who had conceded only once in the league before their trip to the south coast.
Bruno Guimaraes struggled to form an effective midfield partnership with Declan Rice and Odegaard, while Arsenal were regularly beaten in physical duels.
The Gunners also lacked their usual composure in possession and registered only two shots on target.
Arteta will be particularly concerned by the manner in which the goals were conceded, with Brighton afforded too much space for their opening two strikes before adding a third from a set-piece.
For Brighton, the victory was further evidence of their fearless attacking approach.
Diego Gomez kept Riccardo Calafiori quiet, while Kostoulas caused Arsenal’s defence problems throughout and scored for a third successive game.
Andres marked his first league start with his maiden goal for the club, while the experienced Gross once again controlled Brighton’s attacking play.
The 35-year-old, who returned from Borussia Dortmund in January, has now scored four times in his past five appearances.
The defeat represents an early wake-up call for Arsenal, while Fabian Hurzeler’s exciting Brighton side continue to establish themselves as a serious threat near the top of the table.
