Three days after their 3-2 comeback victory over Man Utd in the third round of the League Cup, Brighton secured another impressive win. At their home ground, The Amex, the club, nicknamed "The Seagulls", dominated and decisively defeated Arsenal. This marked their third consecutive home win against a reigning Premier League champion, having previously beaten Liverpool 2-1 in the 2025-2026 season and Man City 2-1 in the 2024-2025 season.

Charalampos Kostoulas scored in Brighton's 3-0 victory over Arsenal on matchday five of the Premier League at The Amex, Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England on 19/9/2026. Photo: Reuters

From the outset, Brighton applied intense pressing, making it nearly impossible for Arsenal to build play. In the 2nd minute, goalkeeper David Raya cleared the ball directly out of bounds, immediately igniting the crowd at The Amex. Shortly after, Riccardo Calafiori mishandled a pass from Pascal Gross, creating an opportunity for Ferdi Kadioglu to shoot over the bar. By the 6th minute, Charalampos Kostoulas's shot deflected off a defender, forcing Raya into a full-stretch save to push the ball wide.

In the 14th minute, following another misplaced pass from Raya, Declan Rice had to work hard to prevent Kostoulas from shooting, effectively covering for his teammate's error. Struggling to build from the back, Arsenal resorted to long passes. However, this tactical adjustment only partially eased the pressure on the visitors, failing to stop Brighton from creating dangerous opportunities.

In the 31st minute, Christos Tzolis's poor headed clearance allowed Brighton to launch a counter-attack. After a few fluid passes, Gross received the ball just outside the penalty area and fired a shot towards the near post. The ball struck the left post before finding the back of the net.

In the final minute of the first half, Brighton doubled their lead from a similar situation. After Bukayo Saka's close-range right-footed shot was saved by goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, Brighton launched a swift counter-attack. The ball was once again moved to the edge of the penalty area. Like Gross's opening goal, Charalampos Kostoulas was unmarked, giving him ample time and space to assess before striking the ball into the far corner, extending their lead.

Brighton maintained their intense pressing in the second half, making it difficult for Arsenal to even build play in their own half. In the 50th minute, the home side won possession in midfield, and the ball was played through to Kostoulas. He burst into the penalty area but shot wide of the post.

"The Seagulls" did not have to wait long to extend their lead. In the 57th minute, Gross delivered a corner kick to the far post, where midfielder Chema Andres rose highest to head the ball in, making it 3-0.

Trailing by three goals, Arsenal remained ineffective in attack. Their best opportunity came in the 78th minute when substitute forward Viktor Gyokeres threaded a pass through for Kai Havertz, who went one-on-one with the goalkeeper. However, the German forward's right-footed shot was saved by Verbruggen. In fact, "The Gunners" were fortunate not to suffer an even heavier defeat. In the 90th minute, O'Riley's close-range shot was saved by Raya, and Junior Yalcouye's follow-up from a tight angle struck the woodwork.

Hong Duy