Mikel Arteta admitted his Arsenal side were “extremely poor” after the Premier League champions fell to a 3-0 defeat to Brighton.
Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andres all found the net to give the Seagulls a famous – and thoroughly deserved – win over the Gunners, who endured a miserable afternoon on the south coast.
Arteta’s men were put under pressure from the opening stages, and found themselves two goals down before half-time.
Stunned, last season’s Champions League runners-up fell further behind after the break, and failed to muster any kind of comeback against a hugely impressive Brighton side.
The result marked a first defeat of the campaign for the north Londoners, with Arteta unable to hide his frustration at full-time.
“[It was] a really disappointing result and performance,” the Gunners boss told Sky Sports.
“Brighton were another gear up from us. We were extremely poor technically and not respecting the game.”
Brighton
Arsenal
‘This can happen again’
Despite his disappointment, Arteta was quick to praise the performance of the hosts, and insisted his players must learn from the experience.
The Arsenal manager added: “Credit to Brighton. They went up another gear. It’s a big lesson to learn. It doesn’t take away from what the team has done the last few weeks.
“But now we have to make sure we learn the lesson because this can happen again.”
Next up for Arsenal after the extended international break is the visit of Leeds United at the Emirates on 10 October, before welcoming French side Lille in the Champions League three days later.
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