Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for the Premier League title last season as they finally crossed the finish line first, finishing five points clear of perennial nemesis Manchester City. The Gunners had been looking imperious in their defense of the title, winning each of their opening four games, including a come-from-behind 2-1 victory at home to rivals Chelsea. When they headed to Brighton on matchday four, all signs pointed towards another win for the champions, but Mikel Arteta's side would come unstuck against a relentless Seagulls side.
Arsenal Thumped by Brighton
Brighton pressed from the outset and were rewarded on the half-hour mark as veteran midfielder Pascal Gross lashed home from the edge of the area. On the stroke of half-time, teenager Charalampos Kostoulas found the bottom corner with a vicious strike, before the Seagulls made it three shortly after the break, courtesy of Chema Andres' towering header.
Brighton stunning the defending champs Arsenal 2-0 at halftime! ????
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) September 19, 2026
Arsenal +700 to come back and win ???? pic.twitter.com/53mt4SefWg
Despite their spectacular start to the season, Arsenal never looked like scoring one, let alone three. The Gunners managed just one shot on target throughout the entire game, with Brighton never allowing them to settle in possession and constantly robbing the ball high up the pitch.
Online betting sites had made the Gunners an odds-on favorite to claim a second straight title prior to kick-off. Now, after the 3-0 drubbing, the latest sports betting odds have pushed them out to 6/5, still the favorites, but with the gap back to the chasing pack now considerably shorter.
So, with Arsenal's perfect record in tatters, could their title defense begin to unravel? And if it does, which of the chasing pack could be poised to take full advantage? Here are two outsiders that could still win the Premier League this season.
Manchester City
Heading into matchday five, Manchester City were the only other team that could match Arsenal's perfect record. The Blues ground out a hard-earned 1-0 win away at rivals Manchester United in their most recent game, and they did it having played an hour with ten men after Phil Foden's first-half red card. The prolific Erling Haaland would pop up in the second half to hand his side a priceless 1-0 win with his fourth goal in as many games, maintaining City's perfect start to the season.
Expectations for the Cityzens were surprisingly low heading into the 2026/27 season. Long-serving manager Pep Guardiola departed in the summer after nine trophy-laden years, and a number of his key players, such as Rodri, Bernardo Silva, and John Stones, followed him out of the door. Chelsea's Club World Cup-winning manager Enzo Maresca arrived as his replacement and immediately splashed £116m to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
Despite starting the season with three straight wins, most thought that City were still one or two players away from being genuine contenders. Then, as the transfer deadline approached, the club splashed the cash, spending over £300m to sign Enzo Fernandez, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Iliman Ndiaye, and young winger Allan. Now, they look like serious challengers, and Arsenal's recent 3-0 defeat at Brighton will only strengthen City's resolve.
Liverpool
Liverpool were another that was written off heading into the new campaign. Their Premier League title defense last season was a disaster, and the Reds slipped all the way to fifth place in the table, despite spending over £400m on new signings. Title-winning manager Arne Slot was sacked, while legendary winger Mohamed Salah agreed to terminate his contract one year early and left the club.
Young defender Jérémy Jacquet arrived to replace the Real Madrid-bound Ibrahima Konate, while £106m was splashed on electric Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola. But so far, results haven't gone Liverpool's way.
The Reds are already six points behind the current table-toppers after drawing three of their opening five games. They do, however, remain undefeated, with two wins in addition to those three draws, and while they have looked a little shy of creativity under former Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, they have also looked resolute in defense. The new partnership between the youthful Jacquet and veteran captain Virgil van Dijk has proven to be a revelation so far, and if other parts of the team begin to gel in the coming weeks, the Merseysiders will consider themselves very much alive in the title race, even if the bookies don't agree.
One can get odds as long as 28/1 on a Liverpool title win come next May, an incredibly lofty price, especially considering Arsenal's recent plight. The focus now at Anfield is turning those draws into wins, and finding a way to unlock striker Alexander Isak, who proved during his Newcastle days that he can be one of the Premier League's most prolific strikers with the right service. If that service begins to be provided in the coming weeks, don't be surprised to see the Reds remain undefeated as they look to take the fight to both the defending champions and Manchester City.
