Brighton humbling 'a big lesson' for Arsenal - Arteta

An uncharacteristic performance from Arsenal saw them ship three goals at Brighton - but boss Mikel Arteta believes their first Premier League defeat this season could prove a “big lesson”.

The defending champions have been tipped by many to retain the title they won last season for the first time in 22 years.

An impressive seven-match winning start to this campaign in all competitions - nine in successive league games dating back to April - backed up that belief.

But Arsenal were humbled on the south coast as a well-drilled and clinical Brighton outfit beat them comfortably 3-0 to go third in the table.

Arteta, whose side did not lose by more than a single goal in the top flight last term, acknowledged the Seagulls “deserved” the success and there were lessons the Gunners needed to take heading into the international break.

The manner of the defeat - Arsenal’s heaviest in a season where they were the reigning top-flight champions since 1989 - will also offer hope to their title rivals that they are not invincible.

Since taking charge in 2019, Arteta has made a point of reiterating how much he values physicality and the demands he puts on his side to win duels.

But against Brighton, Arsenal were dominated all over the pitch and lost challenges which they would usually be expected to win.

Arteta said he was “extremely disappointed” as his side were “very far” from doing the basics he expected, with uncertainty in defence, a loss of midfield control and lack of attacking creativity.

Asked why they were below par, the Spaniard added: “Well, the first one because Brighton they were really good, and they had another bite, and at the times it was better. There are a lot of moments when the ball is 50-50 and it changes hands and most of the time it was for them. Sometimes there were some technical errors very much involved that opened us up in a really difficult way, but that’s something to learn.”

He was quick to remind the media in his news conference after the game that it was still a good start to the season.

The Gunners had 15 players at the World Cup which meant that a large part of the squad joined up for pre-season later than the rest of their team-mates.

“That’s not going to take away what the team has done and the boys have done in the last six or seven weeks since coming back from the World Cup,” added Arteta. “What we’ve done and the way we’ve competed and the amount of games we’ve won has been remarkable, but this is a big lesson for all of us to understand what it takes to win at this level.”

Brighton are currently the Premier League’s top scorers with 16 goals - hitting eight of them in the past week - and could have had more against an Arsenal side who pride themselves on keeping clean sheets.

The Gunners conceded the fewest goals of any side last season and just one got past David Raya in their first four league games before Saturday’s defeat.

“It should have been more, the chances Brighton created, they were that good,” said former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer on BBC Radio 5 Live. “They absolutely battered Arsenal. How many times have we said that recently? From start to finish today Brighton were magnificent, every single one of them played their part. They were strong, they were fit, they went after Arsenal. They had no fear and it worked brilliantly for them, it should have been six or seven goals.”

The Gunners were 2-0 down at the break and have not recovered to win from such a position in a league game since March 2008 at Bolton.

“Every time Brighton chased down the ball, they got it absolutely spot on. They did it as a team, they didn’t do it individually,” added Shearer. “They thought, ‘we respect Arsenal but we’re not going to give them any space to play’. The organisation was great and that just doesn’t happen on its own and you’ve got to give [manager] Fabian Hurzeler credit for that.”

Arsenal spent around £200m in the summer transfer window in a bid to strengthen the squad to challenge for more honours, and Arteta was asked if they needed reminding how tough the Premier League can be.

He said: “I think they knew, I think we knew how tough it was going to be today, and the first thing that we had discussed was about the first part. If you don’t get out of that first part as winners, it will be extremely difficult to dominate the game and to have any probability of winning the game. We knew that, but that’s again credit to them for what they’ve done because they’ve overcome us and they had another edge than we did. And that’s something that at this level it’s extremely important to respect and to understand before anything else.”

Former Premier League defender Curtis Davies believed the Gunners could put the result and display down to a “blip”. “Their form this season has so far been good, this has been a really shocking performance,” he said on 5 Live. “That defence today was nowhere near what it’s used to being. The disappointment will be a set-piece goal conceded, Arsenal will have a real long look at themselves. They didn’t lay a glove on Brighton, and didn’t make anything of their attacking situations.”

Former Man Utd left-back Malacia joins FC Cincinnati

FC Cincinnati have signed former Manchester United left-back Tyrell Malacia.

The 27-year-old Netherlands international joins the MLS club on a free transfer, having left Old Trafford at the end of last season.

Malacia arrives at Cincinnati on a deal that runs until next June, with an option to extend it for the 2027-28 season.

He made 50 appearances during an injury-hit spell with United having joined the 20-time champions of England in 2022 from Feyenoord.

“We are excited to add a player of Tyrell’s experience,” said Cincinnati’s general manager Chris Albright.

“He’s played at the highest levels of the game and understands the demands of competing in those environments.

“His quality on the ball, defensive instincts, and team-first mentality is a welcome addition to the group and we’re happy to have him in Cincinnati.”

How does De Zerbi fix Spurs' scoring troubles?

All of Roberto De Zerbi’s side’s goals have come in the Carabao Cup this season

Four games into the season, Tottenham Hotspur and Coventry City are the only sides yet to score in the Premier League.

Spurs have brought in £320m worth of talent – a bulk of that in attacking reinforcements – so why are they struggling to score?

We analysed the tactics Roberto de Zerbi is trying to implement and what potential fixes may look like.

While the Premier League looks different to when De Zerbi left Brighton in 2024, the Italian has shown clear signs of adapting while retaining his tactical principles.

De Zerbi’s sides entice opponents to apply pressure – often through slowing down play and passing the ball backwards.

They then react to the opponents’ movements by speeding up play, looking to take advantage of the spaces behind the pressing players through direct passing or powerful carrying.

In a 2020 coaching seminar, De Zerbi explained: “The stronger the pressure of the opponent, the more vertical [our] action becomes. [The fewer opponents behind], the easier it becomes to go and score.”

We have seen De Zerbi’s forwards in bigger spaces facing fewer defenders on numerous occasions this season already.

Turning build-up play to goals, however, requires many parts to come together.

Spurs’ shape in possession can be hard to read but it often looks like a 2-3-2-3.

The holding midfielder, usually Rodrigo Bentancur, anchors the midfield in front of Spurs’ two central defenders with this trio remaining fairly fixed.

The 2-3-2-3 shape generally stays the same but there is rotation between the wingers, full-backs and central midfielders.

In rotating, players are encouraged to maintain the side’s shape by swapping zones with their team-mates – filling gaps as they arise.

Spurs’ shape in possession can look like a 2-3-2-3. Sandro Tonali is on the ball in a position the left-back may be expected to occupy. Left-back Andy Robertson is instead positioned on the left wing with winger Omar Marmoush inverting into an attacking midfield position.

On top of these positional rules, De Zerbi gives his sides principles to implement.

A lot of what he is doing worked well during his time at Marseille - from 2024 to 2026 - where they averaged 2.3 goals per game.

It might not be happening for De Zerbi yet this season at Tottenham. But they might not be that far off.

De Zerbi encourages his players to play centrally.

This has two effects.

When Spurs’ centre-backs are on the ball, opposing midfielders and forwards begin to push up, creating space for Spurs’ attacking midfielders between the lines.

The other effect this central play has is that it can draw the defending team in-field, which opens up space in the wide areas for Spurs’ direct wingers to attack.

This short sequence illustrates the above well. A narrow Spurs look to progress the ball, starting at their holding midfielder. Everton’s midfielders step up but their defensive line doesn’t follow, leaving space between the lines.

Mateus Fernandes’ central position draws players towards him, which leaves Savio free on the wing. Fernandes notices this and lays the ball off to him.

When playing these passes into the middle, a few things have to align.

Players receiving the pass have to be comfortable doing so under pressure and naturally, some are more suited to these constraints.

Recognising that Sandro Tonali is better in big space facing forwards, we have seen him rotate positions with Archie Gray, who starts at right-back - a sensible tweak.

Although not his natural position, the 20-year-old has managed in these tight spaces and appears to understand the tactical demands of his manager.

The return of James Maddison, who came back from a shoulder injury for last Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie at Liverpool, will provide De Zerbi with a player better suited to these spaces and in turn help get Spurs into attacking zones more often.

In his short cameo against Liverpool, James Maddison took the ball facing his own goal under pressure.

After turning sharply, he played a clever through-ball for Marmoush running in behind.

Individual player quality aside, much of the success of this approach will come down to players internalising their manager’s instructions.

And it will take time for some of the squad to unlearn the habits they developed under previous coaches.

At the start of last season under Thomas Frank, Spurs built up primarily down the flanks, almost skipping the centre of the pitch entirely. The logic then was to avoid the risk associated with turnovers in the middle of the pitch.

De Zerbi is actively coaching an unorthodox style that goes against these instructions - but getting players to be brave enough to play in congested areas may take some time.

Spurs’ build-up play under De Zerbi is heavily central. Here, in yellow, we see eight of the 10 outfield players in a central position.

By comparison, Spurs’ build-up under Frank was focused on progression through the flanks. Here, in yellow, we see four players wide with only one positioned centrally, highlighted in white.

Spurs’ build-up has regularly got them in positions behind the opposition midfield by attacking quickly after they are pressed.

Turning these great attacking situations into goals has been one of Spurs’ biggest issues.

There are three parts to this. The first is the ability to recognise the best pass available. This depends the second element - the movement of players ahead of them. Thirdly, players need to have the ability to execute the pass.

Spurs’ biggest bottleneck so far has been in players either failing to recognise or opting not to play through balls in behind.

Against Liverpool, Spurs have the chance to play long into three runners against two Liverpool defenders.

Instead the player on the ball goes backwards, much to the highlighted player’s frustration.

The attacking runs, particularly from Omar Marmoush, have generally been good but passes haven’t always followed.

Gray has attempted to feed passes down the line but Spurs have not done this regularly more centrally.

Pedro Porro, known for his ability to create chances, took up a more central role in possession for Spain this summer as they won the World Cup.

As he returns, his natural tendencies, which suit these tactics, may help Spurs create more goalscoring chances.

They might then get some of the joy that De Zerbi’s forwards had at Marseille.

Marseille’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was able to round the keeper and score from this direct attack in the Champions League against Newcastle last season.

But while Porro gets up to speed, others in the Tottenham team are still getting to grips with the runs expected of them.

During De Zerbi’s time at Marseille, diagonal runs from wide attackers on the last line, found by willing vertical passers, worked as a way of finding goals.

In this example, Spurs have a chance to replicate the sort of through pass that worked so well at Marseille - to an attacker on a diagonal run - but Mathys Tel starts his run from wider, preventing him from getting in behind his admittedly quick defensive opponent.

Marmoush decided to dribble centrally and there is a question as to whether he could have still played the pass - but the overarching ideas are almost coming together.

Igor Paixao’s goal in Marseille’s 2-2 draw with Toulouse last season is a strong example of these ideas working well, with De Zerbi’s former club displaying a good understanding of direct passing and well-timed off-ball movement.

Similarly, against Liverpool on Tuesday, we saw Destiny Udogie get into good positions on the left flank.

Although Andy Robertson has played well for Tottenham this season, Udogie’s physicality and timing helped him exploit space when the game became stretched.

This allowed Spurs to get into crossing positions against a disorganised Liverpool shape.

Destiny Udogie, highlighted in yellow, begins this Spurs’ counter-attack.

The attack moves at pace - with the Italian full-back arriving in the box to play a dangerous cross that Spurs were unable to convert from six yards out.

When an attacking side accelerate play, it is common for the defending team to drop back in an urgent manner, looking to protect their goal.

When this happens, space opens up in front of the defence, for late-arriving midfielders or clever strikers that drop back.

Again, Marmoush has tried to do this on a number of occasions but has not always been found.

This may be a matter of players requiring time to gel. For Savio, it may also be a wide player struggling to pull the ball back on their weak foot.

Left-footed right-winger Savio is better at getting to the byeline but the left-footed Udogie and Robertson have created clearer chances via crosses.

At Marseille, both right winger and right full-back were comfortable cutting the ball back on their right foot.

These crosses were maximised by the excellent box-movement of 37-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Here, Savio’s quick dribbling ability gets him to the byeline. As Dominic Solanke’s run towards goal, Everton’s backline drops deep. Marmoush, in yellow, recognises this and pulls off into a great position for a cutback but isn’t found.

Looking at how De Zerbi is trying to work, it is easier to see how many of Tottenham’s attacking moves are almost there in terms of creating clearer chances.

This is not to say things will be perfect immediately. Successful tactics depend on a team’s quality - and Marseille’s forwards were excellent finishers who thrived in space.

But if the small details across the pitch are refined, Spurs should create enough chances to score, even if they miss a few.

I have experienced racism a thousand times - Lamine Yamal

Lamine Yamal has won La Liga three times since making his Barcelona debut as a 15-year-old

Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal says he has experienced racism “a thousand times”, because people are unaware their comments or behaviour are offensive.

The Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia, a government agency, said earlier this year that the 19-year-old and Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr were the most frequent targets of online racist abuse in Spain in the final quarter of 2025.

Lamine Yamal was among the Barca players targeted by racist abuse during El Clasico against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in October 2024.

And in an interview with broadcaster Movistar, the winger, who helped Spain to win the World Cup in July, said he had encountered racism on a regular basis during his rise to prominence.

“A thousand times. People are indirectly racist toward you, but maybe don’t realise it,” he said.

“There are a lot of comments or looks that are racist and they don’t even notice.

He added: “If someone calls me Black, it’s not going to bother me at all, ultimately I’m Black, I’m not any other colour.

“Another thing is whether it’s good or bad, whether they’re saying it to offend me.

“But if I’m playing a match and they paid for a ticket to see me, I’m not going to get angry just because they disrespected me.”

Leicester sign ex-Preston keeper Cornell

Dai Cornell featured 23 times for Preston in his four years with the club

Leicester City have signed former Ipswich Town and Preston North End goalkeeper Dai Cornell on a one-year deal.

The 35-year-old Welshman was a free agent.

He was offered a new contract to remain with Championship club Preston but left in the summer.

Cornell has dropped into League One with the Foxes to boost their goalkeeper options after Jakub Stolarczyk suffered a season-ending knee injury in early September.

Leicester boss Russell Martin said Cornell’s value to Leicester, a side looking to make an immediate return to the Championship, will go beyond just what he can do with the gloves on.

“He understands the role he is going to fulfil here, but he also backs himself to show what a good goalkeeper he is,” Martin told BBC Radio Leicester.

“But first and foremost, he is a brilliant character and really adds to the character, voice and experience in this squad.”

Cornell said he is keen to “help in any way” he can at the Foxes.

Leicester are the 11th club Cornell has been on the books with in a career that started with Swansea City, and which has included stints with Scottish side St Mirren, as well as Portsmouth, Oldham, Northampton and Peterborough.

Former Southampton goalkeeper, and once-capped England international, Alex McCarthy has been the most used of the Foxes’ goalkeepers so far this season.

Argentine Franco Ravizzoli, a summer arrival from Blackpool, has been on the bench for Leicester since Stolarczyk was ruled out.