Well, that was a nasty little reality check.
Seven wins on the spin, confidence soaring, and suddenly Arsenal looked like a side that had forgotten how to play football. Brighton didn't just beat us. They pressed us, outplayed us and eventually put us out of our misery with three goals that exposed some distinctly uncomfortable weaknesses.
The Seagulls were celebrating their 125th anniversary, and Arsenal generously decided to provide the entertainment. Unfortunately, it was the home supporters who got to enjoy the party.
From the opening whistle, Brighton were at us like a pack of hungry dogs. Their high press had our defenders looking distinctly uncomfortable, and Riccardo Calafiori's early clearance was the first indication that this wasn't going to be one of those afternoons when everything clicked into place.
Ferdi Kadioglu fired over, and then David Raya had to produce a full-stretch save to deny Charalampos Kostoulas. We were barely out of our own half.
It took 15 minutes before Arsenal managed anything resembling an attack. A long ball from Raya released Bukayo Saka, but his effort was blocked. Calafiori then had a header charged down, and for a brief period, we began to look like a team that had actually met before kick-off.
But Brighton had other ideas.
Pascal Gross picked up the ball outside the penalty area and sent a low shot crashing in off Raya's near post. It was a fine finish, although the ease with which Brighton found shooting opportunities from distance was becoming a worrying theme.
Still, at 1–0, we were very much in the game.
Then came the moment that effectively killed it.
Martin Odegaard drove into the box, Saka managed a tame effort that Bart Verbruggen collected, and within seconds Brighton were racing up the other end.
Kostoulas advanced with the confidence of a man who knew exactly what he was doing and buried a superb effort into the bottom corner from 25 yards.
Two goals down at half-time. Two long-range strikes. And a mountain to climb.
The second-half response? What response?
Arsenal needed to come out swinging. Instead, Brighton continued to dictate proceedings, and on the hour mark Chema Andres rose at the far post to head home from a beautifully delivered corner.
Three-nil.
Game over.
Mikel Arteta turned to his bench, introducing Viktor Gyokeres in the hope that fresh legs might inject some urgency into a performance that had become increasingly pedestrian.
To his credit, Gyokeres produced a delightful ball over the top to release Kai Havertz, who found himself one-on-one with Verbruggen.
This was the chance. The moment to salvage a little pride and perhaps give Brighton something to think about.
Havertz hit it straight at the goalkeeper.
That, ladies and gentlemen, was pretty much that.
Brighton cruised home, Arsenal trudged off, and our magnificent seven-game winning streak disappeared into the Sussex sea.
A defeat worth examining
There is no need for hysteria. Seven consecutive victories represent an excellent start to any campaign, and this was our fourth successive away fixture in less than a fortnight.
Fatigue may well have played a part.
But let's not pretend this was simply a case of tired legs.
Brighton were sharper, more aggressive and considerably more effective in possession. Their pressing repeatedly forced mistakes, while Arsenal struggled to establish any rhythm in midfield.
The hosts created the better chances, scored three unanswered goals and deserved their victory.
What should concern Arteta is not merely the scoreline but the manner of the defeat.
We looked vulnerable when pressed, failed to prevent Brighton from shooting in dangerous positions and offered precious little attacking threat once we fell behind.
For all the attacking talent at our disposal, our best opportunity came from a substitute's pass to Havertz. That is hardly an encouraging statistic.
And while Brighton deserve enormous credit, Arsenal must ask themselves why they were so comprehensively second best.
One defeat doesn't undo seven victories. But seven victories don't make a performance like this acceptable either.
Time to regroup
The international break now arrives at an opportune moment.
Arteta has time to examine what went wrong, although most of his players will be disappearing to represent their countries rather than working on the training ground.
We return to Premier League action against Leeds United at home on Saturday, October 10.
That fixture provides an opportunity to demonstrate that Brighton was an aberration rather than the beginning of an unwelcome trend.
For now, congratulations to Brighton on their anniversary. They played with the energy, ambition and conviction that Arsenal conspicuously lacked.
As for us, the unbeaten run is over, the winning streak is history, and the players have been given a reminder that reputations count for very little when the opposition wants it more.
Seven wins, one defeat. No crisis. But plenty of questions.
And Arteta needs to find some answers before Leeds come calling.
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