Eight straight wins to start a season would have equalled a club record set 123 years ago. Instead the run ended at the Amex, and it was not close.
Three Shots, Three Goals
Pascal Groß hit the first from 20 yards on 31 minutes, in off David Raya's near post. Charalampos Kostoulas hit the second from 22 yards on the stroke of half-time, low and past Raya before he moved. Arteta sprinted down the tunnel at the break, and whatever was said in there did not survive twelve minutes: Chema Andrés headed the third in from a corner on 57, unmarked.
Our own chances were a Saka counter that he could not sort his feet out for, and a Kai Havertz one-on-one late that Bart Verbruggen saved. That is the sum of it.
Arteta Does Not Hide
"There are certain basics that you need to accomplish in the Premier League that we were very far from. The amount of technical errors we did, we didn't respect any principle of play."
"Credit to Brighton for what they have done. I think we were very far from our level."
And the part worth keeping:
"It's a big lesson to learn. What the team has done since the World Cup has been remarkable. But today there is a lot to learn."
Where That Leaves Us
Four wins and a defeat, twelve points, second. Brighton go third on ten, two behind us, and Fabian Hürzeler has the best result of his career. Leeds at home on 10 October, after the break, which is a long time to sit with this one.
Man of the Match: Pascal Groß 🇩🇪
Not ours, obviously. He set the tone with the opener and Brighton never let go of the game after it.