Jorginho has said the form of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is making him and his Arsenal team-mates laugh ahead of next weekend's meeting.

Haaland netted two more goals for City in Saturday's 2-1 comeback win over Brentford at the Etihad Stadium to maintain his side's perfect start.

That took the striker to nine goals across City's first four Premier League games this season - the most any player has scored in the competition's history at this stage.

Arsenal are the next side tasked with attempting to keep Haaland quiet in next weekend's showdown between the division's top-two sides.

Despite Haaland's superb form to begin the campaign, Jorginho insists Arsenal are unfazed heading into Sunday's battle in Manchester.

"Erling scoring again... it is starting to make us laugh," he said. "We look because we watch all the games and we love the Premier League.

"We watch [City] as well, which is normal. It doesn't get to our head. We need to focus on us and that is what we are trying to do."

Last season's runners-up Arsenal are two points behind early pacesetters City after winning three and drawing one of their opening four matches.

Mikel Arteta's men managed to grind out a 1-0 win in their North London derby with Tottenham at the weekend thanks to a Gabriel header.

Arsenal were without key midfield pair Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, owing to suspension and injury respectively, but still got the job done.

"You learn more about each other," said Jorginho, who replaced Rice in midfield. "Everyone wants to improve and wants the best for the team. 

"When you put the team in first place I think just good things can happen. Keep believing in what you are doing. I think we are on the right way."

Arsenal travel to Atalanta for their opening Champions League game on Thursday, but one eye is undoubtedly on the trip to City three days later.

"If you want to achieve big things you need to have the mentality of trying to win every single game," Jorginho said. 

"That is what we need to do and that is what we want to do. That is what we are trying to do. You need to keep in this way. 

"Keep believing in what you're doing. We are believing in what we are doing and we keep working hard to improve on what we need to improve."

The Premier League is back after the international break, with plenty more thrills and spills to keep everyone entertained.

Manchester United got back to winning ways with a sweeping 3-0 win over Southampton, while Nottingham Forest stunned Liverpool at Anfield.

Manchester City continued their perfect start with a comeback win over Brentford, and on Sunday Arsenal claimed bragging rights in the North London derby.

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: Nottingham Forest

Liverpool had made a perfect start to life under Arne Slot and were yet to concede a goal heading into matchday 4, but after a two-week break, things were not quite as rosy.

The Tricky Trees had faced 26 strikes before Callum Hudson-Odoi's long-range effort curled beyond Alisson, ending a 55-year wait for a Forest win at Anfield.

Forest managed just five shots in the game, creating an expected goals (xG) of 0.44, with Hudson-Odoi's strike only contributing 0.07 to that. They also managed just five touches in the opposition box.

Liverpool may not have been at their high-flying best, but they had 34 touches in the opposition area and had 14 attempts on Forest's goal but could not find a way through a well-drilled Nuno Espirito Santo side as Slot got his first taste of defeat in the job.

Unlucky losers: Brighton

Technically, Brighton were not 'losers' as they continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 0-0 draw with Ipswich Town.

But based on the metrics, they were unlucky not to come away with three points against the newly promoted side.

The Seagulls had a whopping 21 shots at the Amex Stadium, but accumulated just 1.66 xG, and only managed to test Arijanet Muric on six occasions despite their continued dominance.

They also had three big chances, from which players would have been anticipated to do better, but Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter failed to convert them as Fabian Hurzeler's side endured a frustrating day.

Lucky winners: Arsenal

Most Arsenal fans will not care how the victory over rivals Tottenham happened, just that they came away from the visit with three points, but the Gunners were savvy in their victory.

Indeed, Arsenal's two lowest possession averages (on record) in a Premier League game against Spurs have both come in 2024, with Sunday’s match their lowest total (36.3%).

Mikel Arteta's side did create a slightly higher xG (0.74 to 0.71), but from a much lower shot count as they only had seven attempts on Spurs’ goal, with Gabriel Magalhaes’ close-range header worth 0.23 xG.

It was Arsenal's lowest xG of the season so far (0.87 xG on MD2 is second), but their clinical edge proved the difference against a wasteful Spurs.

Unlucky losers: Fulham

Like Brighton, Fulham do not class as losers as they drew 1-1 with West Ham, but Marco Silva will be disappointed to have let the three points slip from their grasp. 

Raul Jimenez's goal looked to have earned them a second win of the season until Danny Ings' clinical finish denied them.

Fulham were another of the teams to have 21 shots this weekend, the joint-most along with the Seagulls, though their 1.54 xG came in slightly lower, despite creating four big chances, of which they squandered three.

West Ham had only accumulated 0.52 xG until Ings' intervention, pushing it up to 0.76 with their third and last shot on target, condemning the Cottagers to a second consecutive draw.

Gian Piero Gasperini acknowledges Thursday's Champions League meeting with Arsenal will be a difficult challenge for his Atalanta side following a mixed start to their Serie A campaign.

Atalanta sit eighth in the Italian top flight with two wins and two defeats from their first four games of 2024-25, having beaten Fiorentina 3-2 in a thriller on Sunday.

La Dea twice trailed to goals from Lucas Martinez Quarta and Moise Kean, only to fight back for victory with Mateo Retegui, Charles De Ketelaere and Ademola Lookman scoring.

Gasperini led Atalanta to Europa League glory last season, and they are preparing to step up to the revamped Champions League, with Arsenal the visitors for their first league-phase match next week.

Gasperini knows the Gunners will provide a huge test, telling DAZN: "It's not just their aerial power, it's the way they run and move the ball. They have fantastic dynamism.

"Arsenal are a great reference point in England, they dominated the Premier League last season along with Manchester City and Liverpool.

"We have never played against them and I think they will be a big test for us because of their intensity, quality and pace. 

"We’re not used to teams with those characteristics, this could be a problem for us."

Gasperini also expressed frustration with the recent international break, noting that it had complicated efforts to prepare the team for their European campaign. 

"Having the break for international duty was not helpful, as so many of them left again straight away," he said.

"I think first of all this team needs to find solidity, get those mechanisms running smoothly."

A defiant Ange Postecoglou believes Tottenham have enough to win trophies this campaign as he "always wins things in his second year".

Gabriel Magalhaes scored the decisive goal for the Gunners in the 64th minute, profiting from some slack defending on a corner as he thumped in the winner.

Spurs had the better chances, especially in the first half, finishing the game with 15 shots overall, more than double what Arsenal managed (seven).

The hosts also dominated possession with 63.7% and entered the final third 62 times, but as they did against Leicester City on the opening day, they struggled to take their chances.

Asked if he thought his team had enough to challenge for silverware this season, Postecoglou told Sky Sports: "I don't usually win things, I always win things in my second year," he told Sky Sports. "Nothing's changed. I don't say things unless I believe it."

Postecoglou has failed to beat Arsenal in three Premier League attempts and was left to lament their lack of a clinical edge after the match.

"It's very disappointing in a big game for us and our supporters. We didn't deliver so you have to take the pain from that," he added.

"It has been the story of our season so far, we played in their half and created chances, but we lack a bit of belief in the final third. That's what we need to fix. It was always going to be decided in moments, and they capitalised on theirs.

"It's me who has to give the guys the way forward. It's not for a lack of trying by the lads, we are just going through this early part of the season where we are playing well but not getting rewards for it.

"We handled set-pieces pretty well, but we switched off for one and paid the price."

Son Heung-min made his 19th Premier League appearance in the North London derby, with only Sol Campbell (22) playing in more among outfield players.

The Spurs captain struggled to make an impact though, worth just 0.04 expected goals (xG), and he echoed Postecoglou's frustrations.

"We dominated the game; the football was there, we just conceded from a set-piece again. We did it last season, and it is really frustrating," Son said.

"I am sure the fans are also very disappointed. We have to improve, 100%. It's a tough moment and we have to stick together.

"We are getting into the final third, but the players have to take the responsibility to score. It is the hardest part of football, making the right decision and being clinical.

"We will bounce back strong, there is a long way to go."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was beaming with the work rate put in by his side following their 1-0 victory away to rivals Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday.

Defender Gabriel Magalhaes scored the decisive goal, heading home from a corner in the second half, to leave the Gunners second in the Premier League table.

Spurs enjoyed the better start of the two, creating plenty of openings in the early part of the first half, but were unable to take advantage.

Arsenal had fewer shots than Spurs (seven to 15) but were more clinical than their hosts. 

"They are a great side and create an unbelievable atmosphere," said Arteta of their opponents while talking to Sky Sports.

"We knew it would be tough. We believed we could hurt them, we weren't the best with the ball today.

"The way we defended was top drawer. We want to play a different game, but they put a structure that is extremely difficult to match up, so we decided not to do that."

Three of Arsenal's last four Premier League goals against Spurs have come from corners, compared to just three in their previous 88 such matches beforehand.

"We just work on heading the ball, having the right delivery and winning the ball," Arteta added.

"It is about the right timing. Over the season, the team has to go over hurdles, so I am delighted."

Arsenal's players echoed their manager's happiness, with stand-in captain Jorginho highlighting how the team spirit helped them over the line.

"We had to work really hard, as you saw, we knew it was going to be a difficult game," he told Sky Sports.

"On these days you have to work, and we know we can count on each other as teammates.

"At the end, it paid off, and we are so happy that we won. We had key players missing, but we are a total team, the whole squad. We know that whoever comes on will be ready to help the team. We are really proud of the team."

Arsenal's victory over their rivals was the first time since 1988 that they have won three in a row at Tottenham, and that significance was not lost on the players.

"We did it three times in a row now, and you felt the excitement in the dressing room after the game," Jurrien Timber said to BBC Match of the Day.

"You know how bad the fans want to win this game, but it's the same for every game. You prepare for every game the same way, but it felt really nice winning this one.

"I am really, really enjoying it even with all these games coming up. The feeling of being fit is an amazing feeling.

"It's a true honour. We showed up today and credit to everyone who came in."

Gabriel Magalhaes scored the decisive goal as Arsenal got back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Tottenham on Sunday.

The defender netted the only goal of the contest after 64 minutes, punishing Spurs for a lapse in concentration from a corner as he drifted away from Cristian Romero to thump in Bukayo Saka's pinpoint cross.

The hosts had the better chances in the first half, through Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke, but were thwarted by David Raya's saves and some disappointing misses.

Despite Spurs' search for a late equaliser, Arsenal were able to hold out for the win and maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

Mikel Arteta's side are up to second in the table on 10 points, while Spurs are 13th after suffering their second defeat of the campaign.

Data Debrief: Set-piece specialists

Arsenal have a knack for scoring from set-pieces, and they proved their prowess once more thanks to Gabriel's towering finish. 

It is the 23rd goal Arsenal have scored from set-pieces (excluding penalties) since the start of last season, more than any other side, while three of their last four Premier League goals against Spurs have come from corners.

The Gunners secured a sixth consecutive away league win, their best streak since a run of eight between March and September 2013 under Arsene Wenger. They have also now won three consecutive away North London derbies for the first time since September 1988.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes Raheem Sterling has a point to prove following his deadline-day move from Chelsea.

Sterling made the journey across London late in the transfer window after being deemed surplus to requirements by Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.

The 29-year-old, who is with the Gunners on a season-long loan, could make his debut in the North London derby against Tottenham on Sunday and Arteta, who worked with him during his time as an assistant coach at Manchester City, has enjoyed linking up with the Englishman again so far.

Arteta said of Sterling: "He looks great. First of all, because he has a big smile on his face, a lot of energy. He's at it and wants to prove a point."

The Spaniard has already seen a desire from Sterling to return to his past form, which saw him win four Premier League titles with City, and score 123 Premier League goals.

"When someone has got that in his belly you sense it straight away," said Arteta.

"Obviously, I don't need to discover anything about his quality and what he can bring to the team.

"What I see is hunger. He is a player who wants to play every minute of every game. When that is not the case, he's not happy."

Arteta refused to rule out the possibility of Martin Odegaard being involved on Sunday, despite the midfielder sustaining an ankle injury during the international break.

Norway's national team doctor said Odegaard would be out for the next three weeks, but the Arsenal boss was bullish about his chances of possibly being involved.

He said: "We need some more tests so let's see what happens in the next day or so, this afternoon probably, and see what happens with the extent of the injury and how quickly we can get him back.

“"48 hours until the game, players could always become available, but let's see what happens."

Arteta signed a new three-year contract during the week, having been appointed in December 2019, and said his strong feelings towards the club made the decision to extend a no-brainer.

"The emotional attachment that I have, that my family has, and my kids have [to Arsenal], as well as the experience that I have and the moment [I am sharing] with the people - it is too strong," said the 42-year-old.

"We are going in the right direction, we have made some huge steps, and we have a lot still to make."

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.