Brighton batter Arsenal 3-0 as Manchester City go top

Champions Arsenal were beaten 3-0 away at Brighton on 19 September. Gross, Kostoulas and Andrés got the goals. It ended Arsenal's perfect start in a single noisy afternoon on the south coast.

Brighton pressed hard from the first whistle. Arsenal could not cope with that intensity. The defeat ended their 100% record in the league, meaning they had won every game until that point, and also ended their perfect run in all competitions The Athletic.

Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, did not argue. He said his side were taught a lesson and that Brighton deserved to win The Guardian. The scoreline was comprehensive. Three goals, no reply, and no complaints.

The damage went beyond one defeat. Arsenal slipped off top spot. They now sit second behind Manchester City on goal difference, the tie-breaker decided by goals scored minus goals conceded Al Jazeera. City are the only side left in the Premier League with a 100% start.

The rest of the weekend brought plenty of noise too. Brentford hammered Chelsea on Friday night. Michael Carrick's Manchester United very nearly lost away at Craven Cottage, Fulham's home ground. Tottenham Hotspur ended the weekend bottom of the league, while Coventry picked up their first points of the season.

That was the verdict on the Guardian's Football Weekly podcast on 21 September, titled 'Arsenal battered in Brighton, Manchester City go clear' The Guardian.

What makes this stand out is the swing. One game turned praise for Arsenal's fast start into questions. And it gave Brighton supporters one of those afternoons they will talk about for years.