Champions Humbled at the Amex
Arsenal suffered a shocking 3-0 defeat against Brighton at the Amex Stadium. The Premier League champions, who ended a 22 year wait for the title last season, looked completely lost as the hosts celebrated their 125th anniversary with a dominant performance.
Brighton took the lead after 31 minutes when 35 year old German international Pascal Gross scored with a fine strike from 20 yards. Just before halftime, Charalambos Kostoulas made it 2-0 with another long range shot. The Greece forward was given far too much space by the Arsenal defense to pick his spot, leaving goalkeeper David Raya helpless.
Midfield Meltdown
Arsenal's biggest issue during the match was in the center of the pitch. Declan Rice, usually a reliable pillar for Mikel Arteta's side, had a game to forget. He lacked tactical and positional discipline, often leaving the midfield completely empty as he chased the ball.
With captain Martin Odegaard playing high up and Bruno Guimaraes unsure whether to sit deep or push forward, Brighton easily dominated the game. Rice was even lucky to avoid a red card late in the match after kicking out at Malick Yalcouye. He received a yellow card instead, on a day when almost all of the traveling fans left the stadium early.
A Historic Habit
Brighton have made a habit of upsetting the division's best teams. This is the third season in a row they have beaten the reigning champions, having previously defeated Liverpool and Manchester City. Despite having 24 hours less to recover after playing Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, Fabian Hurzeler's side looked much sharper.
Chema Andres sealed the win with a header from a corner in the 55th minute to make it 3-0. Pascal Struijk and Yalcouye both missed great chances to make the scoreline even worse for the visitors. Arteta now has a three week international break to fix his team's issues before they host Leeds United on October 10.
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