Ex-Chelsea player predicts unexpected outcome for title race following Arsenal loss.

It was a surprising and impressive match on Saturday when Brighton handed Arsenal a 3-0 defeat. Former Chelsea star Tony Cascarino believes that Brighton should now be considered as Premier League title contenders, along with Arsenal and Manchester City. At the start of the season, Arsenal was seen as the clear favorites to defend their Premier League trophy, with City and Chelsea as their closest rivals.

However, the humiliating loss to Brighton has thrown a wrench into their plans. While Chelsea has struggled after a strong start, City is currently sitting at the top of the table with a perfect record. They have the opportunity to extend their lead even further if they defeat Sunderland on Sunday.

But it's not just City and Arsenal who are in the title race now. Brighton has climbed up to third place in the table and is currently the top scoring team in the division, with an impressive 16 goals in just five games. They have also knocked Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup and are the favorites to win the UEFA Conference League.

In an interview with talkSPORT, Cascarino expressed his belief that there is something special about this Brighton team. He even dared to suggest that they could potentially make it to the Champions League this season. He said, "What I've seen from them this year, the way they won at Old Trafford in midweek, the way they dismantled Arsenal - there's something special there." He also acknowledged that it will be a tough challenge for Brighton to maintain this level of performance throughout the season, especially with their young squad and European fixtures to contend with.

However, he believes that their flair and ability to score goals at will set them apart from other top teams like Brentford, Leeds, and Everton. Cascarino also mentioned Arsenal's impressive start to the season, but after witnessing Brighton's dominant performance against them, he believes that Arsenal's title aspirations may be in jeopardy. He said, "I said the other week that Arsenal were the only team that could get near to or maybe even beat Chelsea's goals against record.

But then I watched Brighton literally take them apart and it wasn't a fluke." Despite Brighton's early success, it's still a long season ahead and anything can happen. But Cascarino believes that the team's youthful energy and attacking prowess cannot be ignored. He said, "They're the youngest team in the Premier League.

Can they mature during the season? But they have such a flair about them, it's unreal. If they weren't Brighton and named Manchester United or Man City or Arsenal, you'd be saying they're definitely title challengers." As for Arsenal, Cascarino believes that manager Mikel Arteta will use this defeat as a learning experience and come back stronger.

He said, "He'll move on extremely quickly from that. He said it in his press conference, 'full credit to Brighton'. He would have been shell shocked as well." Overall, it's clear that Brighton's impressive start to the season has caught everyone's attention, and they are now a team to be taken seriously in the title race.

Only time will tell if they can maintain this level of performance and potentially make history by winning their first major trophy.