Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has blamed a series of technical mistakes for his team’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.
The defeat ended Arsenal’s winning start to the season as Brighton secured a comfortable victory at the Amex Stadium.
Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas scored before half-time to give Brighton a 2-0 lead.
Chema Andres then added a third goal after the break to complete a disappointing afternoon for the Premier League champions.
Arteta admitted that Arsenal struggled from the early stages of the match because of mistakes in possession.
“I am really disappointed. In the first 20 or 30 minutes, the number of technical errors put us constantly under pressure. It was all related to the start,” Arteta told Match of the Day.
The Arsenal boss said the defeat should serve as a lesson to his players after their impressive performances since the World Cup.
“It’s a big lesson to learn. What the team has done since the World Cup has been remarkable. But today there is a lot to learn,” he said.
Arteta also praised Brighton for their performance and admitted that Arsenal were well below their usual standard.
“Credit to Brighton for what they have done. I think we were very far from our level,” he added.
The international break will now give Arsenal time to reflect on the defeat and prepare for their next match.
Arteta described the loss as painful and warned that Arsenal could be punished in any game if they fail to perform at the required level.
“In any game, you can get highly exposed if you don’t do what you need to do,” he said.
