The Premier League is back following the first international break of the season, and Sunday's headline fixture looks to be worth the wait as Tottenham host Arsenal.

The first North London Derby of the campaign comes after disappointing results for both sides on matchday three, with Arsenal losing early ground on Manchester City and Liverpool as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton.

Ange Postecoglou's Spurs, meanwhile, were beaten 2-1 at Newcastle United, leaving them three points behind their rivals in the early-season standings.

What can we expect as these North London heavyweights go head-to-head for local bragging rights at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?

By diving into the Opta data, we can bring you all the best pre-match facts, figures and storylines.

What's expected?

Arsenal have had the upper hand in the North London Derbies of late, and the Opta supercomputer makes them slight favourites despite the absence of home advantage.

They were victorious in 40% of the supercomputer's 10,000 pre-match simulations, with Tottenham triumphing in 34.1% and the remaining 26% finishing all square. 

Arsenal have won their last two Premier League away games against Tottenham, as many as in their previous 17 such visits (six draws and nine defeats). They last won three consecutive away North London Derbies between January 1987 and September 1988.

Draws have been a rarity at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has seen the lowest percentage of draws (9%, 9/101) of any ground in Premier League history, so perhaps we should not expect the spoils to be shared. 

When will Tottenham stop being Spursy?

The adjective 'Spursy' is not one any team wishes to be tagged with, coming to denote a side that flatters to deceive and ultimately falls short of expectations.

Postecoglou has made no secret of his desire to cast that perception aside and make Tottenham true contenders, but their start to 2024-25 has thrown up several familiar themes.

Spurs were utterly dominant on matchday one but could not hold onto a 1-0 lead at newly promoted Leicester City, starting their second straight season under Postecoglou with an underwhelming draw.

After routing hapless Everton, they were then beaten 2-1 at Newcastle despite firing off 20 shots to the hosts' nine, also enjoying 65.7% possession and playing almost as many passes in the final third (235) as Newcastle did overall (261). 'Spursy' indeed.

The North London Derby is a fixture in which Tottenham have struggled lately, losing five of their last seven Premier League meetings with Arsenal (one win and one draw).

That is more defeats than they suffered in their previous 16 against their rivals (six wins, six draws and four defeats).

These fixtures have so often been an acid test of Spurs' resilience, and they must improve their defending for a matchup that has not featured many clean sheets lately. 

Arsenal versus Tottenham has seen both teams score more often than any other fixture in Premier League history (43 times), while it is also the fixture to see the team who scored first fail to win more often than any other (29 times, 19 draws and 10 losses).

Can Gunners replace Rice?

There was much for Mikel Arteta to be frustrated about as Arsenal dropped their first points of the campaign last time out, squandering a 1-0 lead in a 1-1 draw with Brighton.

But it could be that the sending-off of Rice, who received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away early in the second half, proves more of an inconvenience than the result.

The first red card of Rice's Premier League career – coming on his 245th appearance in the competition – has handed Arteta a major selection dilemma in the engine room.

Rice started 37 of the Gunners' 38 Premier League games last season, appearing as a substitute in the other. It is often said that availability is the best ability, and Rice's 3,230 Premier League minutes in 2023-24 were only bettered by eight other outfielders – team-mate William Saliba (with a full 3,420) among them.

With Rice patrolling the midfield, Arsenal were a picture of control last season, giving up the joint-fourth fewest fast breaks in the Premier League (23) and the joint-fifth fewest shots from fast breaks (20).

Thomas Partey and Jorginho, the men likely to be tasked with holding the fort, will come up against a Spurs side with plenty of pace in transition, and the likes of Son Heung-min, Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson will be desperate to exploit his absence.

Tottenham scored three goals from 25 fast breaks in Premier League action last term, finding the net every 8.3 fast breaks on average – only eight teams netted from such situations at a greater frequency.

Rice did much to help Arsenal build the Premier League's most fearsome defence last term, and they approach Sunday's game with eight shutout victories in their last 10 away league games (nine wins, one draw).

Elsewhere, captain Martin Odegaard is a doubt after sustaining an injury on international duty with Norway, with their absences potentially handing Spurs a golden opportunity.

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Tottenham – Son Heung-min

Tottenham skipper Son has scored eight goals against Arsenal in all competitions. In the history of the fixture, only Harry Kane (14), Emmanuel Adebayor (10) and Bobby Smith (10) have netted more North London Derby goals than the South Korean.

Seven of Son's North London Derby goals have come in the Premier League, with no other current Spurs player boasting more than two strikes against the Gunners in the competition.

Arsenal – Bukayo Saka

Saka scored home and away goals against Tottenham in the Premier League last season. The only previous Arsenal players to score in three or more consecutive North London Derby appearances in the competition are Emmanuel Adebayor (five between 2006 and 2008) and Robert Pires (four between 2002 and 2004).

Saka has also been involved in more attacking sequences than any other Arsenal player in the Premier League this term (22 – 10 shots, seven chances created and five build-up involvements), scoring once against Wolves on matchday one.

Mikel Arteta has committed his future to Arsenal by penning a new long-term contract with the club.

Arteta took charge of the Gunners in December 2019 following Unai Emery's exit and has led them to successive second-placed Premier League finishes in the last two seasons.

The Spaniard, who made 150 appearances for Arsenal as a player between 2011 and 2016, also oversaw an FA Cup final victory over Chelsea in 2020 and has lifted the Community Shield on two occasions as the Gunners' head coach.

Arteta had entered the final 12 months of his contract at the Emirates Stadium, but reports earlier this week claimed he had agreed a new deal to run until 2027.

Arsenal confirmed he had put pen to paper on Thursday, with co-chairman Josh Kroenke telling the club's website: "We're delighted to have extended Mikel's contract.

"Mikel is a dynamic and passionate manager, who is relentless in the pursuit of excellence. 

"He has a deep understanding of Arsenal's values, and since joining us as head coach in December 2019, he has taken the team to another level in an Arsenal way.

"There is a great collective team spirit at the club, and with the strong relationships we hold between us and belief in what we do, we look forward with excitement and confidence, as we continue our aim – to win together."

Arteta has overseen 235 competitive games in charge of Arsenal, recording 139 victories for a 59.15% win ratio, with the Gunners scoring 437 goals and conceding 233 during that time.

The Gunners have improved their Premier League points tally in each of his four full seasons at the helm, going from eighth-placed finishers with 61 points in 2020-21 to runners-up to Manchester City with 89 points last term.

He has won 105 of his 175 Premier League matches in charge. Of Arsenal managers in the competition's history, excluding Pat Rice, who only oversaw three matches, Arteta has the best win percentage (60%).

Arteta told Arsenal's website: "I feel extremely proud, very excited and am looking forward to what is coming next. 

"I'm proud to be where I am and have the relationships that I have with everyone at the club. I feel extremely lucky to work every single day with good people and the ambition we have here. 

"I feel very inspired, I feel challenged, I feel supported and I want to do much more than what we’ve already done together."

Arsenal have taken seven points from their first three games of the Premier League season and face Tottenham in the first north London derby of the campaign on Sunday.

Martin Odegaard is set to miss three weeks of Premier League action after sustaining an ankle injury on international duty, according to Norway's team doctor.

Odegaard was forced to withdraw from Norway's 2-1 win over Austria in the Nations League on Monday after coming together with Christoph Baumgartner in midfield.

The 25-year-old has since returned to London for further assessment but looks likely to miss the Gunners' important league fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. 

Mikel Arteta is already without Declan Rice for the north London derby this weekend following his red card against Brighton and Hove Albion. 

And while no time frame has been officially confirmed by Arteta, Norway’s team doctor Ola Sand believed Odegaard would need a few weeks to recover. 

“Such ankle injuries often take at least three weeks. Anything other than that is just a bonus, and then it can take longer,” Sand told Norwegian newspaper VG.

“What we have so far obtained from the MRI examination in London is that there is probably no fracture in the ankle.

“It is always a bit difficult to interpret an MRI scan when you have had an old injury, but Arsenal are almost certain there is no breach, but this may still take some time.

“In the event of a fracture, we are talking about being out of action for six weeks plus.”

Odegaard would also miss Arsenal's first Champions League fixture away to Atalanta on September 19 as the Gunners look to improve on their quarter-final run in the competition last season. 

The Gunners captain is yet to register a goal or an assist this term, but has again proved influential for Arteta, with his five chances created, a total only bettered by Bukayo Saka (eight) in the first three games of the new season. 

As well as Arsenal missing Odegaard, Arteta will be sweating on the fitness of summer signing Riccardo Calafiori after he was replaced in Italy's 3-1 win over France last week with a calf injury. 

Fellow arrival Mikel Merino is sidelined after sustaining a fractured shoulder, though there could be a return to the side for Gabriel Jesus after recovering from a groin issue.

The Premier League takes its first break for international fixtures over the next two weeks.

But we had plenty of thrills and spills on matchday three.

Everton were 2-0 up in the 87th minute against Bournemouth on Saturday, only for Sean Dyche's team to lose 3-2. Manchester City continued their perfect start, while Arsenal were held by Brighton, with Declan Rice sent off.

On Sunday, Newcastle United overcame Tottenham and Chelsea drew with Crystal Palace, while the headline fixture of the weekend saw Liverpool hammer Manchester United.

But which teams were lucky, and unlucky, on MD3?

Lucky winners: Bournemouth

Andoni Iraola claimed Bournemouth were fortunate to come from behind and beat Everton 3-2 at Goodison Park. The Toffees were leading by 2+ goals until the 87th minute – the latest a team has ever been 2+ goals ahead in a game they've gone on to lose in Premier League history.

The full-time stats perhaps suggest a different version of events to Iraola's take. Bournemouth finished with a higher expected goals (xG) than Everton (2.22 to 1.97) while having 17 shots to the hosts' 18.

But up until late on, Everton had complete control. Indeed, as of the 80th minute, Sean Dyche's team had mustered 18 shots, 11 more than Bournemouth.

And just to hammer that home, 1.79 of Bournemouth's 2.22 xG came from the 81st minute onwards. While the Cherries deserve credit for a smash-and-grab, it is fair to say that Everton, who had five big chances but scored just two of them, will have been left scratching their heads as to how they capitulated.

Unlucky losers: Chelsea

Okay, so technically, Chelsea are not 'losers' - they drew 1-1 with Palace on Sunday.

But, based on the metrics, they were extremely unfortunate not to beat Oliver Glasner's team.

Chelsea had 13 shots and accumulated 2.4 xG, which was the third highest across the weekend's games, behind Brentford (2.78) and Man City (3.0), albeit a huge chunk of it came from Nicolas Jackson's close-range finish.

Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was in fantastic form, making some excellent saves to deny Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer and coming away with a goals prevented figure of 1.76, and ultimately, Eberechi Eze's stunner, which had an xG of just 0.06, was enough to claim a share of the spoils and frustrate Enzo Maresca.

Lucky winners: Newcastle United

Newcastle beat Spurs 2-1 at St James' Park, and Eddie Howe's team showed how clinical they can be.

They had nine shots, 11 fewer than Tottenham, but actually amassed a higher xG total (1.83 to 1.26), showing that the opportunities they created were quality ones.

Indeed, they converted both of their big chances, meaning they join Leicester City (1/1) as the only other team from the weekend to register a 100% big chance conversion rate.

Unlucky losers: Arsenal

Like Chelsea, Arsenal drew, but based on the underlying metrics, and even though they went down to 10 men when Declan Rice was sent off, they could be considered unfortunate not to have beaten Brighton.

Mikel Arteta's team finished with an xG of 2.14, the fifth-highest total from the weekend, while also creating five big opportunities, from which players would have been anticipated to do better, only for the Gunners to miss four of them.

On the flip side, Arsenal did face 22 shots going the other way, albeit those attempts did not account for a high xG (1.76).

Nico Williams remains happy at Athletic Bilbao for now but is unsure what his long-term future holds, saying: "God knows what will happen." 

Williams reportedly attracted interest from Barcelona and Arsenal during the recent transfer window, having enjoyed a terrific campaign as Spain won Euro 2024.

The winger played six of La Roja's seven games in Germany, scoring twice and laying on one assist. 

Only fellow Spain wideman Lamine Yamal (19) bettered his 13 chances created at the tournament, while he ranked second for successful dribbles (13) to Dani Olmo (14).

Williams has three years remaining on his contract with Athletic but that deal contains a €55million release clause, yet no club activated it before the window closed on Friday.

Speaking to DAZN after Saturday's 1-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in LaLiga, the 22-year-old insisted he remains content in the Basque Country.

"There were approaches from many clubs. I did well at the Euros and that's a great showcase," he said.

"I had many clubs to choose from but my heart is with Athletic. I'm happy here, I'm very happy here. God knows what will happen in the future."

Athletic have four points from as many matches in LaLiga this season, having also beaten Valencia, drawn with Getafe and lost to Barcelona.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was frustrated with the officials after watching his side draw 1-1 with Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium, having played the majority of the second half with 10 men.

Declan Rice was sent off for a second bookable offence after 49 minutes for delaying the restart from a Brighton free-kick, leaving Arteta to question the consistency of the referee's decision-making.

“If that happens throughout the game in a consistent way that’s fine,” he told TNT Sports in a post-match interview.

“But it didn’t happen. In the first half, there were a number of occasions where they kicked the ball away and nothing happened. 

“It’s inconsistency and it's in an area where it’s not critical. You made that call and you have to give a red card.

“If we have to play with 10, they have to play with 10 as well.”

Despite his annoyance at the red card, Arteta was able to find positives in the performance of his team.

Arsenal went 1-0 up after 38 minutes through Kai Havertz’s second goal of the season, before conceding a second-half equaliser following Rice’s dismissal.

“We started the game really good, created three or four big chances,” he said.

“We started the second half really good, had some good moments and momentum and obviously that decision changes the game completely.

“It was unbelievable the way the team reacted [after the goal] with 10 men, playing 48 minutes, we should have won the game.”

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler, meanwhile, had a different opinion to his counterpart.

“It was a red card, he shoots the ball away. He was wasting time,” said Hurzeler in his post-match press conference.

“If Arsenal think otherwise, there are now two opinions.”

When asked about a similar incident in which Joao Pedro seemed to avoid punishment for kicking the ball away, Hurzeler suggested the two events were not like-for-like.

“You can’t compare the two situations,” he said.

“In football, two situations are never the same. I was booked because I was complaining about the tackle against Joel [Veltman] in the first half. We can accept it’s in the Premier League, it’s a yellow card, but I think no one can complain if the referee gives the red card.”

Brighton moved top of the Premier League after holding 10-man Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium.

Kai Havertz's first-half strike was cancelled out by Joao Pedro, while the hosts played most of the second half with a player less following Declan Rice's red card for two bookable offences.

The Gunners broke the deadlock seven minutes before half-time when Bukayo Saka outmuscled Lewis Dunk before teeing up Havertz, who lifted the ball into the empty net over the outrushing Bart Verbruggen.

However, Mikel Arteta's side were reduced to 10 men within four minutes of the restart, with Rice shown a second yellow card after he was deemed to have prevented the taking of a Brighton free-kick.

The Seagulls were level just nine minutes later when David Raya parried Yankuba Minteh's initial strike straight to Joao Pedro, who made no mistake from close range.

Fabian Hurzeler's side looked more likely to grab the game's decisive third goal as they dominated possession later on but, in the end, were forced to settle for a share of the spoils.

Data Debrief: Saka matches Henry as Gunners' winning streak stalls

Arteta's side will count themselves fortunate to have taken a point from this contest, given they enjoyed just under 25% of the second-half possession at the Emirates - albeit a man light after the first red card of Rice's 245-match Premier League career.

The Gunners started well as they sought a ninth straight league win, and were deserving of their lead through Havertz's fourth goal in as many appearances against Brighton - and his seventh in nine home games.

His effort came after clever play from Saka, whose assist was his third in as many matches this term. The only Arsenal player to previously provide an assist in each of their opening three games of a Premier League season was a certain Thierry Henry in 2004-05.

Raheem Sterling completed a season-long loan move to Arsenal from Chelsea at the eleventh hour on Deadline Day. 

Sterling, who made 81 appearances for Chelsea since his move from Manchester City in 2022, was told he was not in the plans of new Blues head coach Enzo Maresca.

After not being involved in the squad for their opening day defeat to his former side, Sterling's representatives sought clarity over his future and he was linked with a move to Manchester United.

But instead, he reunited with Mikel Arteta, having spent time with him at the Etihad when the Spaniard was assistant head coach to Pep Guardiola.

During his two-year stint at Stamford Bridge, the 29-year-old netted 19 goals and added 12 assists in that time, with 18 of those goal involvements coming last campaign.

His 45 completed dribbles in the league was a total only bettered by Cole Palmer (52) and Nicolas Jackson (54), while also creating 39 chances for Chelsea. 

Sterling provides a wealth of experience for the Gunners in their quest for the Premier League crown, having won the title four times with Man City.

"It’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s really exciting. I’m buzzing. It’s one where we kind of left it late but it’s one I was hoping for," Sterling told Arsenal's official website. 

"Looking at everything, I’m just, like, ‘This is a perfect fit for me’, and I’m super happy that we got it over the line.

"I spoke with Edu and I said that it’s something you can see from the outside, you can see the real togetherness from Mikel’s time here and you see the journey that the boys are on, and you can see the hunger, and I keep saying again, the togetherness is something I’m looking to be a part of."

It offers another attacking option to Arteta for the remainder of the campaign, having allowed two of their forwards to depart the club on the final day of the window.

Eddie Nketiah completed a permanent transfer to Crystal Palace for an initial £25million fee, plus £5m in performance-related add-ons.

Reiss Nelson also secured a move away from the Emirates, signing a season-long loan deal with Fulham.

Arsenal's new signing Mikel Merino is set to be out for several weeks after suffering a fractured shoulder in his first training session.

The midfielder, who joined from Real Sociedad in a £31.6million deal earlier this week, sustained the injury in a clash with Gabriel Magalhaes.

Merino had been expected to make his debut for the Gunners against Brighton on Saturday, but Mikel Arteta confirmed that would not be possible.

"Very unfortunate," Arteta told a news conference. "On Thursday, he had a collision, and he has a shoulder injury, unfortunately.

"It looks like he's going to be out for a few weeks. First session. He was really excited, and everything was looking really good.

"He landed on the floor and Gabi landed on top of him, and it looks like he has a small fracture, probably.

"We have to see [how long he is out for]. He was in so much pain. We'll have to do some more tests on that and then we'll have more conclusive answers."

Arsenal have also announced the signing of Neto on a season-long loan deal from Bournemouth following Aaron Ramsdale's departure to Southampton.

The goalkeeper started the Cherries' first two Premier League games of the season, making 11 saves and conceding just twice.

In 63 appearances for Bournemouth in all competitions, he kept 13 clean sheets and helped them to a 12th-place finish in the top-flight last season.

Aaron Ramsdale has left Arsenal for Southampton in a permanent deal reportedly worth up to £25million.

Ramsdale joined Arsenal from Sheffield United in 2022 and assumed a key role in Mikel Arteta's side, playing all 38 games as they finished as Premier League runners-up in 2022-23.

However, he lost his place to David Raya at the start of last season and has long appeared destined to move on, with Wolves among the clubs linked with him in the current transfer window.

It appeared Arsenal may be willing to sanction a loan move for the England international, but Southampton have tied him down to a four-year contract, paying a transfer fee that could rise to £25m.

Southampton manager Russell Martin told the club's website of the transfer: "I'm delighted. Bringing in a player like Aaron is a real statement signing for us, so I'm very grateful to ownership and the board for making it happen, especially as so many other clubs were keen.

"Aaron is obviously a very talented goalkeeper, but also an impressive all-round football player, which is clearly important for us with the way we play.

"His reputation speaks for itself, he brings great experience even at what is still a relatively young age at his position and he's a fantastic character too, who I think will be a wonderful addition for us both on the pitch and in the dressing room."

Ramsdale is not the only England goalkeeper to seal a deadline-day transfer, with Wolves completing a £10m deal to acquire Sam Johnstone from Crystal Palace.

Johnstone has penned a four-year contract at Molineux, where he will compete with Jose Sa for a starting spot.

Champions League holders Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund in a rematch of last season's final following Thursday's revamped draw.

The new league phase format sees each of the 36 teams play eight games, four at home and four away.

And Madrid, who beat Dortmund in the final at Wembley in June, will go up against BVB at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Carlo Ancelotti's team are also set to face Liverpool at Anfield in one of the headline clashes of the new-look draw, while they will play Milan and Europa League winners Atalanta.

Liverpool have failed to win each of their last eight meetings with Madrid (D1 L7), their longest winless run against an opponent in European competition.

Manchester City and Arsenal will both go up against Paris Saint-Germain, while Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen count Inter, Liverpool, Milan and Atletico Madrid among their eight opponents.

PSG will also take on Bayern Munich, who in turn have to face Barcelona away from home. The French club, meanwhile, have won just one of their six Champions League meetings with Man City.

As well as taking on PSG, Arsenal also have a clash with Inter to relish. The Gunners' only previous away game against Internazionale was a 5-1 win in November 2003, with that season being the last time the Gunners won the Premier League title.

Aston Villa fans have a pair of home matches against heavyweights Bayern and Juventus to look forward to.

Mikel Arteta is confident his Arsenal team can carry the efficiency shown in their win over Aston Villa into their meeting with Brighton on Saturday. 

The Gunners maintained their winning start to the Premier League season with a 2-0 win at Villa Park but had to weather a storm in the East Midlands. 

Arsenal managed nine shots in the contest to Villa's 11, but Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey's strikes ensured they exacted revenge on Unai Emery's side. 

Despite their unusual lack of threat in front of goal, Arteta insisted that his players' efficiency in front of goal has added another string to their bow for the new campaign.

"Last year, I think we generated more, obviously because of the context of the game when they scored first," Arteta said.

"Today they did something a little bit different to what we expected, especially in the first phase of the build-up in the way they behave.

"But this is what we have to do, you know, against any formation, any opponent, any behaviour that we find to be a threat in many areas, and that's a big compliment for the team.”

Meanwhile, Brighton were involved in EFL Cup action on Tuesday night, cruising into the next round with a comfortable 4-0 win over Crawley Town. 

Simon Adingra, Jeremy Sarmiento, Adam Webster and Mark O’Mahony were on the scoresheet to ensure their winning start rolled on under new boss Fabian Hurzeler.

The Seagulls are one of four teams who have won their first two Premier League games of the season, with Hurzeler only the fourth manager to do so for Brighton.

And the 31-year-old believes their midweek run-out against Crawley provided some challenges that will help his side improve ahead of their trip to the Emirates.

"You have to win tough games like this which we did," Hurzeler said. 

"I experienced a lot of cup games in Germany, and I know how difficult it is to play against a team that comes from a lower league.

"I think they had nothing to lose, they had a lot to win. So, in the end, we are happy about the result but we will try to keep improving and try to play better than today.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Arsenal – Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka has continued where he left off from last campaign and has now been involved in 17 goals in his last 19 Premier League outings for the Gunners (12 goals and five assists). 

Saka notched assists against Wolves and Aston Villa, and could become the second player after Thierry Henry in 2004-05 to assist a goal in the first three games of a top flight season for Arsenal. 

Brighton – Danny Welbeck

Danny Welbeck has already notched a goal against one of his former employers this season, and will be looking to strike against Arsenal upon his return to North London.

Welbeck is looking to score in three consecutive Premier League appearances for the first time since January 2014, while the last player to score in each of Brighton’s first three league games in a single campaign was Nicky Forster in 2008-09.

MATCH PREDICTION: ARSENAL WIN

Despite Brighton's impressive start to the season, Arsenal are considered the overriding favourites, winning 69.8% of Opta's data-led simulations, with the Seagulls given a 12.3% chance of emerging victorious at the Emirates. 

The Gunners have won three of their last four Premier League games against Brighton (L1), as many as they had in their first 10 against them beforehand (D3 L4).

Arteta's side have also triumphed in their last eight league games since a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa in April, last winning nine in a row between January and March 2004.

Victory for Arsenal would see them win their opening three Premier League games in a season for a second time under Arteta (also 2022-23), which would be as many times as they did so prior to his arrival as manager (in 2003-04 and 2004-05 under Arsene Wenger).

Brighton have won three of their seven Premier League away games against Arsenal (D1 L3). They’re one of just three teams to have won more or as many visits to the Emirates as they’ve lost in the competition, along with Manchester City (W7 L6) and Swansea City (W3 L3).

For the third time in the last four seasons, Brighton have won their opening two Premier League matches. The Seagulls haven’t won their opening three league games in a season since 2011-12 in the Championship.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Arsenal – 69.8%

Draw – 17%

Brighton – 13.2%

Arsenal have announced the signing of Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad on a four-year contract.

The midfielder has joined in a deal worth up to £31.6million, with the option to extend his stay for an extra year.

Merino is returning to the Premier League, having signed for La Real from Newcastle United in 2018.

He made 242 appearances for the Spanish side in all competitions, scoring 27 goals and registering 30 assists.

Last season, he won 326 duels, the most of any player in the top five European Leagues, while his 197 recoveries in LaLiga were the most of any outfield player for La Real.

"Mikel is a player who will bring us huge quality with his experience and versatility," Mikel Arteta said of his new signing.

"He has played at the top of the game at both club and international level for a number of seasons now. Mikel will make our squad significantly stronger, with his technical ability, together with his strong and positive character and personality.

"As we all saw in the summer, Mikel is also a winner, with his strong performances throughout the Euros helping Spain win the tournament. We are delighted to welcome Mikel and his family to the club and can't wait to start working with him."

Merino is the fourth signing by Arsenal during this transfer window, after Tommy Setford, Riccardo Calafiori, and the permanent move for David Raya.

Former Juventus and Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has announced his retirement from football.

He won 11 major trophies during his career in England and Italy, and earned 84 caps for Poland, playing in seven major tournaments for his country.

Szczesny agreed to mutually terminate his contract with Juventus earlier this month after a breakdown in negotiations over a move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr.

The goalkeeper joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2006, making 181 first-team appearances and winning two FA Cups in 2014 and 2015.

After spending two seasons on loan at Roma, he then joined Juventus in 2017, winning eight major trophies, including three Serie A titles.

Since making his Serie A debut, the Pole made the fifth most saves in the league (among goalkeepers to play at least 50 games), making 481, while he also had the fifth-best save percentage in that time – 72.55%.

Only two goalkeepers in Serie A bettered Szczesny's 200 league appearances since his debut, though he conceded considerably fewer goals (179) than both Andrea Consigli (411) and Lukasz Skorupski (301) during that time. 

In a post on Instagram, Szczesny announced his retirement, claiming his heart was no longer in the game.

"I left Warsaw, my hometown in June of 2006 to join Arsenal with one dream – to make a living out of football," he said. "Little did I know it would be a start of a journey of a lifetime. Little did I know that I would get to play for the biggest clubs in the world and represent my country 84 times.

"Little did I know that not only would I make a living out of the game, but the game would become my whole life. I didn't just realise my dreams; I've arrived where my imagination wouldn't even dare to take me.

"Everything that I have and everything that I am I owe to the beautiful game of football… But I also gave the game all I had. I gave the game 18 years of my life, every day, without excuses.

"Today, my body still feels ready for challenges, my heart is not there anymore. I feel that right now it is time to give all of my attention to my family. Therefore, I have decided to retire from professional football." 

We're into the swing of the new Premier League season, with matchday two bringing plenty more thrills and spills.

Big wins for Chelsea and Manchester City were accompanied by hat-tricks for Noni Madueke and Erling Haaland, while Everton's miserable start to 2024-25 continued as they were thrashed 4-0 at Tottenham.

But who were the lucky winners and the unlucky losers to emerge from this weekend's set of fixtures, according to the underlying metrics?

With the help of Opta data, let's find out.

Lucky winners: Chelsea

While Chelsea's thumping 6-2 win at Wolves was the most emphatic victory of a goal-laden matchday, perhaps fortune smiled on the Blues as they got off the mark under Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea's six goals came from an expected goals (xG) figure of just 1.68, with the Blues giving up chances worth 1.96 xG at the other end. 

Madueke was joined on the scoresheet by Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer and Joao Felix as Maresca became the first manager in Premier League history to see his team score six goals in his first away game at the helm.

Unlucky losers: Wolves

It might be a tad generous to suggest Wolves were unfortunate after shipping six goals on home soil, four of them coming in a miserable second half as they attempted to chase the game.

However, it is certainly fair to say the scoreline did not tell the full story of a game in which Gary O'Neil's men managed 12 shots to Chelsea's 14 and bettered the Blues' 21 touches in the area, registering 25.

Chelsea's xG overperformance of 4.31 is the largest of the season by some margin, with Brighton and Spurs both outdoing their underlying figures by 1.57 in their victories over Everton.

No team managed a bigger overperformance than that throughout the entirety of last season, either, with Newcastle's eight goals from 3.92 xG versus Sheffield United the closest any team got.

Lucky winners: Arsenal

Chelsea's win at Molineux was one of just two games in the Premier League on matchday two where the victors lost the xG battle.

But on a weekend where justice was largely done, Arsenal could perhaps count themselves fortunate to leave Aston Villa with a 2-0 victory.

The Gunners accumulated just 0.87 xG to Villa's 1.28, but goals from Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey maintained their 100% start to the season.

This is the third time they have won their first two matches of a top-flight campaign without conceding a goal, having previously done so in 1924-25 and 1971-72.

Unlucky losers: Aston Villa

Villa were a lucky winner on matchday one as they escaped the London Stadium with a 2-1 victory over West Ham, but there was to be no repeat against Arsenal.

Unai Emery's team only hit the target with three of their 11 shots, and striker Ollie Watkins was particularly wasteful as he failed to net from two efforts worth 0.87 xG.

That is the second-highest figure registered by a player who failed to score in a Premier League match this season, after Nottingham Forest's Nikola Milenkovic versus Southampton on Saturday (0.98 xG).