Weekend Review: Seagulls soar and punters pout after Arsenal suffer 3-0 drubbing

Brighton blitzed Arsenal (7/10) 3-0 at the Amex on Saturday as the bookies headed into the international break on a high.

Goals from Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andrés handed the Gunners their first defeat of the season, with the Seagulls fine scoring form continuing.

In another positive result for the layers, Brentford dismantled Chelsea (8/5) 3-0 on Friday night as Jaidon Anthony, Igor Thiago and Fábio Carvalho hit the back of the net.

Struggling Coventry City (4/1) got their first win of the season after a 1-0 victory away at Nottingham Forest sparked wild celebrations in the away end.

A 1-1 draw between Fulham and Manchester United on Sunday afternoon capped off a fine gameweek for the books.

FDJ United’s Ali Gill said: “Another strong week of results in the Premier League this week as we wrap up for the first international break of the season, with a couple of real standout results.

“The weekend kicked off early as Chelsea’s 3-0 loss to Brentford turned out to be the best result in the book of the whole match round.

“But, not far behind was Arsenal’s shock 3-0 loss to Brighton, Forest losing 1-0 at home to Coventry and Man United stumbling again to a slightly lucky looking 1-1 draw with Fulham.”

Betfred’s Alan Firkins added: “On the field at weekend the heroes were to be found at Brentford, empathic 3-0 conquerors of Chelsea; brilliant Brighton, who mauled Arsenal 3-0 themselves at the Amex; and how about Coventry, pointless and goalless until sneaking past Nottingham Forest at the City Ground 1-0 – all results warmly welcomed by the football desk.

“A couple of draws helped mitigate against more predictable wins for the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Everton and Newcastle, and the title betting received a significant tweak in the aftermath with the Gunners out to evens, it’s now 5/4 City, 14s Liverpool, Chelsea 20/1 and 40/1 bar those quoted.”

Elsewhere, Manchester City (9/25) won 5-3 at home to Sunderland in a rollercoaster game featuring a Brian Brobbey hat-trick.

Liverpool (6/5) squeaked past Bournemouth 1-0 on the south coast, Everton (7/10) won by the same scoreline at home to Ipswich and Spurs’ woeful start continued with a 3-2 loss at home to Aston Villa (11/4).

Bet365’s Steve Freeth remarked it was a “tough weekend for Premier League punters” ahead of the three-week international break.

He continued: “The biggest-priced winner of the weekend was on the south coast, where Brighton won 3-0, handing Arsenal their heaviest league defeat in more than three years – also 3-0 against the Seagulls.

“The Gunners are now odds-against (11/10) for the title, with Manchester City breathing down their necks at 5/4 after their 5-3 thriller against Sunderland. Six bet365 customers landed a 150/1 winner by backing Brian Brobbey to score a hat-trick, with Erling Haaland finally getting on the scoresheet to add the fifth on 81 minutes.

 “The low-margin wins for the Merseyside duo of Liverpool and Everton didn’t impact the book, likewise Newcastle’s 2-1 win over Hull.”

In Europe, Barcelona (1/4) extended their lead at the top of La Liga to five points after a 3-1 win away at Sevilla made it seven victories out of seven.

Atlético Madrid beat Real Madrid (19/20) 2-1 to leave Los Blancos in fourth on 15 points.

In the Netherlands, PSV lost away at Twente and Ajax drew at home to Excelsior, making Holland a happy hunting ground for the bookmakers.

Gill said: “On the continent, Real Madrid losing to Atlético was another coupon buster, while in Eredivisie, PSV lost and Ajax drew at home. So all in all, very tough for punters to find any way to profit.”

In Germany, Bayern Munich (1/25) put seven past Union Berlin, thanks to a Michael Olise hat-trick and Harry Kane brace.

PSG (2/5) also got their second league win of the season after beating Marseille 2-1 at the Velodrome.

Freeth added: “Bundesliga wise, 1/33 Bayern Munich scored seven thanks to a Michael Olise hat-trick and Harry Kane scoring two. We paid out 19/10 Augsburg when they went 2-0 up at Werder Bremen, though a late fightback saw the hosts take all three points, with former Hammer Niclas Füllkrug on the scoresheet.

“Liam Rosenior was not afraid to show his feelings when his Paris FC side (4/5) beat his former club Strasbourg 2-1 on Saturday.

“Angers, Lyon and Toulouse also obliged, following on from 4/5 Monaco on Friday night and 2/5 PSG’s win at Marseille on Sunday capped a successful weekend for Ligue 1 punters, but it was a rare bright spot in what was otherwise a bookmaker-friendly few days.”