Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal were "in trouble from the first throw-in" in a 3-0 defeat at Brighton that ended the champions' unbeaten start to their Premier League title defence. Goals from Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andrés sealed a convincing victory for the home side, who climbed to third in the table. Arteta was "extremely disappointed" but congratulated Brighton on deserving the win, calling them "the better team".

He criticised Arsenal's lack of basic duels and technical errors, saying they were "always on back foot". Despite Brighton having 24 hours less recovery time following their Carabao Cup win at Manchester United, Arteta noted his side lacked the edge in 50-50 situations. The defeat marked Arsenal's first loss by three goals in the Premier League since Brighton's 3-0 win at the Emirates in May 2023.