Arsenal suffered a 3-0 defeat at Brighton as Tottenham lost again, while Everton stayed unbeaten and Newcastle secured their second Premier League win.
Arsenal stunned by Brighton as Tottenham crisis deepens
Arsenal suffered their first major setback of the 2026/27 season on Saturday as Mikel Arteta side were beaten 3-0 by Brighton, bringing an abrupt end to a run of seven consecutive victories in all competitions and opening the door for Manchester City to take control at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners arrived on the south coast in excellent form and with the possibility of extending a perfect start that had generated considerable optimism, but instead endured an afternoon in which Brighton were sharper, more clinical and increasingly comfortable as the match progressed. Pascal Gross opened the scoring in the 31st minute, Kostoulas doubled the advantage just before half-time and Chema Andres added the third shortly before the hour mark, leaving Arsenal with no route back into the contest.
The result means Arsenal remain on 12 points and, for the moment, level with Manchester City, but the situation at the top could change quickly. City host Sunderland on Sunday and now have the opportunity to move clear, turning what had looked like another highly convincing weekend for Arsenal into the first real test of how Arteta team respond to adversity this season. The defeat was significant not only because of the three points dropped, but because of the way Brighton controlled key moments and punished Arsenal at both ends of the first half. After seven straight wins had created the impression of a side already operating at a very high level, this was a reminder of how quickly momentum can shift in the Premier League.
Brighton confirm excellent start
Brighton, by contrast, continue to make an impressive impression in the opening weeks of the campaign. Gross gave the home side the breakthrough after 31 minutes, rewarding a performance in which the Seagulls were increasingly able to impose themselves on the match. Kostoulas then struck in the 45th minute, a particularly damaging moment for Arsenal because it gave Brighton a two-goal cushion immediately before the interval. Any hope of an Arsenal response after the break was effectively extinguished when Chema Andres made it 3-0 in the 57th minute, ensuring that the home side could manage the remainder of the contest from a position of considerable control.
Portuguese full-back Costinha was introduced in the 77th minute as Brighton closed out the victory and moved provisionally into third place with 10 points. At this stage of the round, only Leeds can overtake them, meaning the Seagulls have placed themselves firmly among the leading sides after the opening five matches. The result also strengthens the impression that Brighton strong start is more than a temporary burst of form. Beating Arsenal by three clear goals provides a very different type of statement from simply collecting points against more modest opposition, and the performance gives further credibility to the idea that Brighton can remain competitive near the upper end of the table.
For Arsenal, however, the afternoon will be remembered very differently. Their winning sequence had stretched across all competitions and had given them a perfect rhythm at the start of the season. That momentum has now been interrupted in emphatic fashion. Arteta will be aware that one defeat does not define a campaign, but the manner of the loss means there will be an immediate need for a response. The Gunners did not merely lose narrowly or through a late incident; they found themselves three goals down before the final third of the match and were unable to change the dynamic once Brighton established control.
Tottenham suffering gets even worse
If Arsenal had a bad afternoon, Tottenham had an even more painful one. Spurs continued the worst start to a Premier League season in the club history by losing 3-2 at home to Aston Villa, a result that leaves them with just two points after five matches and still without a victory. Even more remarkably, the two late goals Tottenham scored were their first in the league this season. After spending more than £400 million on new signings, an unprecedented level of investment for the club, expectations had been very different, making the current position increasingly difficult for supporters to accept.
Aston Villa arrived in London with problems of their own. The Birmingham side had also struggled badly in the opening weeks and were still searching for their first league victory, but they found the breakthrough they desperately needed with Johan Manzambi playing a decisive role. The Swiss midfielder, who attracted attention last season during Freiburg run to the Europa League final, scored in first-half stoppage time to give Villa the lead and then turned provider after the break, setting up Senegalese forward Jackson in the 67th minute.
Emiliano Buendia then made it 3-0 in the 79th minute, and that was the moment when the atmosphere inside the stadium changed completely. Tottenham supporters, already frustrated by the poor start to the season and the lack of attacking output, responded with a prolonged chorus of boos that continued through to the final whistle. The scoreline was especially painful because it appeared to underline the scale of the problems rather than simply represent another narrow defeat. A team assembled at enormous expense had reached the fifth round of the league campaign without scoring and was now three goals down at home to another side that had entered the match under pressure.
Tottenham did at least avoid finishing the afternoon without a league goal. Conor Gallagher scored in the 86th minute before van Hecke added another in the 90+8th, but the late rally changed little beyond the final scoreline. The fact that those strikes were Spurs first Premier League goals of the season was itself a remarkable statistic and did little to soften the anger inside the ground. The supporters had already seen enough to make their feelings clear, and the final whistle was greeted by more frustration rather than any sense of encouragement from the late response.
Mateus Fernandes started for Tottenham but did not return after half-time, another detail in an afternoon during which very little went according to plan for the home side. Spurs remain third from bottom for the moment and could even finish the round in last place depending on the remaining results. For a club that invested so heavily during the summer, that possibility places enormous pressure on everyone involved. Two points from five matches, no victories and only two goals scored is a return that contrasts dramatically with the expectations created by the transfer spending.
Villa finally have something to build on
Aston Villa, meanwhile, will view the victory as an important release after their own difficult opening to the campaign. The three points move them up to 15th place with four points and give them a platform from which to begin rebuilding confidence. Manzambi performance was central to the result, with a goal and an assist in a match where Villa needed one of their attacking players to take responsibility. Buendia contribution then ensured the visitors had enough of a cushion to survive Tottenham late reaction.
The timing of the win could be particularly valuable. When a team begins a season poorly, the longer the wait for the first victory continues, the more every mistake and every missed opportunity begins to carry additional weight. Villa have now removed that problem and can approach their next fixtures knowing they have already proved capable of winning away from home. The fact that it came against a Tottenham side that had spent heavily and were themselves desperate for a result only adds to the significance.
Everton remain unbeaten
Elsewhere, Everton continued their unbeaten start by defeating Ipswich Town 1-0 in Liverpool. French forward Barry scored the only goal of the game after 11 minutes, giving Everton another important three points and taking their total to nine. While some of the attention elsewhere in the division has been dominated by the struggles of bigger clubs, Everton have quietly put together a very solid opening sequence and remain without defeat.
Ipswich, newly promoted but already looking relatively comfortable in mid-table, remain on six points despite the loss. Florentino was introduced during the second half as the visitors tried to change the course of the match, but their task had already become more difficult after Fatawu was sent off. The Ghanaian, formerly of Sporting, left Ipswich with reduced numbers and Everton were able to protect their narrow advantage through to the final whistle.
The result keeps Everton close to the upper positions and gives further encouragement to a side that has started the campaign with consistency. They did not need a spectacular performance or a high-scoring victory on this occasion; an early goal and a controlled defensive display were enough. In a league where several teams have already shown considerable volatility from one week to the next, that kind of reliability can be especially valuable during the opening stages.
Newcastle strike early against Hull
Newcastle also collected three points, beating Hull 2-1 after a devastating opening seven minutes. Joe Willock scored after only three minutes and Lewis Hall doubled the advantage four minutes later, leaving Hull facing an immediate uphill task before the match had properly settled. That explosive start ultimately proved decisive and allowed the Magpies to record their second Premier League victory of the season, taking them onto eight points.
Hull, who remain on eight points themselves, did manage to respond in the second half. French forward Cho reduced the deficit in the 67th minute after being set up by Algerian Belloumi, the former Farense player who has continued to attract attention since moving to England. The goal gave Hull hope of finding an equaliser, but Newcastle protected the advantage and ensured that the two early strikes were enough to secure the result.
For Newcastle, the victory was important because it strengthened a respectable start after five matches. Eight points keeps them well positioned in the table and gives them a platform to build from after a result in which they showed exactly how damaging they can be when they start quickly. Willock and Hall gave the team immediate control, and although Hull improved later, the Magpies had already created the margin that ultimately decided the contest.
A damaging weekend for North London
The strongest theme from Saturday programme, however, was the contrasting fortunes of the London sides. Arsenal saw a seven-match winning run abruptly ended by Brighton and now face the possibility of losing first place to Manchester City. Tottenham situation is far more serious, with their worst Premier League start continuing despite extraordinary spending and expectations that the new season would mark a significant step forward.
For Arsenal, the question is how quickly they can restore the rhythm that carried them through the opening weeks. They remain on 12 points and still have every reason to view the start positively, but the defeat at Brighton was emphatic enough to demand an immediate reaction. For Tottenham, the challenge is more fundamental. The late goals against Villa at least ended the extraordinary wait for a first league goal, but two points from five matches means the pressure is already substantial and could intensify further if results elsewhere leave them bottom of the table.
Brighton and Aston Villa therefore emerged as the biggest winners from a dramatic afternoon. The Seagulls reinforced their excellent start by beating one of the title contenders convincingly, while Villa finally collected the victory they needed to move away from the lowest positions. Everton remained unbeaten, Newcastle moved onto eight points and the Premier League table continues to take shape after another round in which early-season expectations were challenged across several grounds.
