The Premier League form book flew out of the window this weekend as table toppers Arsenal saw their 100% start brought to an abrupt halt by a brilliant Brighton performance. The Seagulls won 3-0 on the South Coast in one of several positive results for the bookies ahead of the international break. Chelsea were beaten by the same scoreline at Brentford on Friday night, in what FDJ United’s Ali Gill hailed as “the best result in the book of the whole match round”, while Manchester United laboured to a 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday.It was a weekend where lay bettors enjoyed the most success, with Coventry City also providing an upset and earning their first points on their top flight return – winning 1-0 at Nottingham Forest. The Sky Blues were priced at 4/1 at most football betting sites to come home with three points.All these results were “warmly welcomed by the football desk” according to Betfred’s Alan Firkins.Firkins added: “A couple of draws helped mitigate against more predictable wins for the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Everton and Newcastle, and the title betting received a significant tweak in the aftermath with the Gunners out to evens, it’s now 5/4 City, 14s Liverpool, Chelsea 20/1 and 40/1 bar those quoted.” Man City are now the only team still on maximum points, having beaten Sunderland 5-3 despite Brian Brobbey’s best efforts. The Dutch striker bagged a hat trick which was a winning bet for six bet365 customers, who backed him at 150/1. bet365’s Steve Freeth said that, overall, it was a “tough weekend for Premier League punters.”There were other coupon busters across Europe, with Real Madrid losing to city rivals Atletico to leave themselves already six points behind Barcelona in the race for the Spanish title. Meanwhile two of the biggest clubs in Dutch football also dropped points – Ajax were held to a draw at home by Excelsior and PSV Eindhoven were beaten at FC Twente. About the authorNathan HillNathan Hill is an experienced sports writer who obsessively follows football – both the round ball and American kind – as well as range of other sports including F1, basketball, darts and snooker.