Brighton’s High Press Ends Arsenal’s Seven-Game Winning Run

FALMER, England — Arsenal’s perfect run across their preceding seven matches in all competitions ended at the American Express Stadium, where Brighton & Hove Albion won 3-0 with an aggressive high press and three unanswered goals.

The hosts had previously beaten Arsenal 3-0 at the 31,800-capacity Falmer venue during the clubs’ last Premier League meeting there in April 2024. This time, Brighton’s early intensity immediately unsettled the visitors.

“From the first throw-in,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said after the final whistle. “You could sense it. It was so clear. We put ourselves in trouble, one time, two times, three times. We need to get out of that much quicker than that and that’s one of the biggest lessons that we have to take from the game today.”

Brighton’s pressure produced repeated technical errors from Arsenal inside their own half. The visitors lost physical duels, failed to win second balls and struggled to move through Brighton’s forward line when building from the back.

Pascal Gross gave Brighton the lead with a long-range strike. The home side also used set pieces effectively, and Charalampos Kostoulas added a second goal with another strike.

Arteta considered making changes at halftime but decided against doing so. “I was,” he said when asked about potential substitutions. “But we believed it wasn’t the right moment to do that with the things we wanted to change for the second half. That decision was made.”

The Arsenal manager said the physical demands of the opening weeks had affected his players. Arsenal had entered the fixture with early-season momentum after a summer calendar filled with international tournament commitments for much of the squad.

Brighton’s third goal came when Chema Andres took advantage of defensive disorientation inside the penalty area. Left unmarked, Andres headed home to make it 3-0.

Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi came on in a double substitution on the hour mark. By then, Andres had already scored, and Arsenal could not regain control or reduce the deficit during the final 30 minutes.

Arteta said Arsenal were not equipped to deal with Brighton’s direct approach because they failed to perform basic elements of the game. “There were certain basics that you need to accomplish in football, especially in the Premier League, that we were very far from,” he said. “In the first duel, the second balls, that put the game, especially how direct they were, in a really difficult place for us.”


Brighton took control through long-range shooting and set-piece execution, while Arsenal’s struggles began instantly according to Arteta. Despite the pressure mounting during the first half, he said Brighton deserved the result.

“At the end of the day, they deserved to win the game and it’s a big lesson for us,” Arteta said.