Arsenal beaten 3-0 by Brighton to end perfect start

Chema Andrés Photo by GLYN KIRK / AFP

Brighton and Hove Albion ended Arsenal's perfect start to the season in stunning fashion on Saturday, routing the Premier League champions 3-0 on the south coast.

Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas rewarded Brighton's first-half dominance with precise finishes and Chema Andres struck after the interval as Arsenal wilted.

Earlier, Tottenham Hotspur scored their first Premier League goals of the season but they were in vain as they remained without a win, going down 3-2 at home to Aston Villa.

Promoted Hull City suffered their first league defeat of the season as they went down 2-1 at Newcastle United while Everton moved into the top five as they beat Ipswich Town 1-0.

Arsenal had won seven successive matches since the start of the campaign, including their opening four Premier League games, to begin their title defence in ominous fashion.

But the wheels fell off spectacularly against a free-scoring Brighton side who moved into third place.

Gross beat Arsenal keeper David Raya in the 31st minute with a low shot that went in off the upright and Kostoulas scored with a similar effort following a counter-attack.

Andres then headed in from close range and Brighton could have extended the lead as they celebrated their 125th anniversary in style.

Thierno Barry's goal was enough for unbeaten Everton to take the points against Ipswich.

Newcastle galloped into a two-goal lead against Hull with Joe Willock and Lewis Hall scoring in the opening seven minutes but were forced to hang on as Mohamed-Ali Cho replied for the visitors midway through the second half.

More from Sports News

  • England complete Sri Lanka whitewash to top T20 rankings

    Jos Buttler hit an unbeaten half-century as dominant England beat a sorry Sri Lanka by eight wickets to complete a 3-0 series whitewash and replace India on top of the T20 world rankings after the final match of the series in Manchester on Saturday.

  • UAE begins campaign at Asian Games in Japan

    The UAE has begun its campaign at the 20th Asian Games in Japan, with 165 athletes representing the country across 21 sports.

  • UEFA defends draw policy after Ireland request

    UEFA said on Saturday that decisions on whether national teams should be kept apart in competition draws were made on a case-by-case basis and guided primarily by security considerations, after Ireland's football association said its request to avoid future pairings with Israel had been rejected.

  • Villa chalk up first victory as Spurs misery continues

    Aston Villa finally breathed a sigh of relief as they claimed their first Premier League win of the season with a 3-2 victory at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, while Spurs' season lurched deeper into trouble after another demoralising defeat.

Blogs