Arsenal lost its flawless Premier League start after a 3-0 defeat to Brighton, while Tottenham remained winless after a 3-2 loss to Aston Villa.
Mikel Arteta's team arrived on the south coast in impressive form, securing seven wins across all competitions this season. However, it was Brighton's confident play that allowed them to maintain momentum, as goals from Pascal Groß, Haralambos Kostas, and Chem Andre were enough to break through the usually impenetrable defense of the 'Gunners.'
This is the third consecutive season that the Premier League champions have lost at the Amex Stadium, following Liverpool and Manchester City over the last two years. Brighton demonstrated high confidence after becoming the first team in 50 years to come back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in the League Cup mid-week.
Fabian Hürzeler's team attacked Arsenal from the start, but they had to wait until the 31st minute when Groß leveled a shot that hit the near post. During halftime, Arsenal's team was penalized for giving too much space on the edge of their penalty area when Kostas chose a shooting position against David Raya.
Instead of showing a strong response in the second half, the visitors fell further behind by the hour mark, as Andre received space for a header from Groß's corner within six yards, scoring his 16th goal in five league matches of the season. This defeat was the hardest for Arsenal in any tournament since April 2023.
Tottenham called 'too fragile'
For their northern rivals, Tottenham also had a disappointing day, as they will have to endure a three-week international break in the relegation zone. After four matches without scoring, Tottenham's drought ended too late, when they were already losing 3-0 before scoring two consolation goals from Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke.
Aston Villa was grateful to goalkeeper Jon Suzuki for a series of saves that helped them stay in the game before Johan Mazzambi scored the goal that put the visitors ahead late in the first half. Nicolas Jackson demonstrated Tottenham's weak defensive level by scoring the second goal, and a brilliant strike from Emil Buendía secured Villa's first win of the season.
Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi stated: 'We played well in the first half, we didn't score, but we are too fragile.' He added: 'At the moment when we need to defend, we must defend compactly. Leaders must be leaders and lead the team.'
Newcastle interrupted Hall's undefeated start with two goals in the first seven minutes thanks to Joe Willock and Lewis Hall, winning 2-1. Konstantinos Tsolakis saved Juan Vissa's penalty before halftime, allowing Hall to remain in the game, and they staged a tense finish at St James' Park when Mohamed Ali Cho equalized. Everton rose to fifth place, extending their unbeaten run, beating Ipswich in a ten-man squad match 1-0. Tierney Barry scored the only goal, and another was disallowed by VAR before Abdul Fatav received a second yellow card for a dive. Manchester City could increase their three-point lead at the top of the table by hosting Sunderland, while Manchester United aims to give a break to stressed manager Michael Carrick in Sunday's match against Fulham.