Mikel Arteta did not mince words after Arsenal’s 3-0 loss to Brighton at the Amex Stadium, accusing his squad of not "respecting the game" when they were outplayed on the south coast. The defeat, which saw goals from Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andres, marked Arsenal’s heaviest Premier League setback in three years and abruptly halted their perfect start to the season.
Artura’s frustration was evident as he highlighted the physical and technical shortcomings that left his side vulnerable to Brighton’s relentless pressing. He said the Gunners were consistently out‑muscled in the first duels, lost the battle for second balls, and were unable to recover possession after losing it.
"They were a gear above us in the fundamentals of the game," Arteta explained. "They won every initial contest, whether it was the first challenge, the second action or the subsequent second balls, and they built their play from there." When Arsenal did have the ball, especially in their own half, Arteta noted that the quality of their play was "extremely poor technically". He argued that this lack of technical proficiency and discipline meant they failed to respect the basic principles required when facing a team that presses man‑to‑man. "That never gives you the option to dominate and control the game in the way you want," he added, pointing out that the Gunners also squandered several clear‑cut chances.
The manager stressed that the lesson from this loss must be learned quickly. "We have to make sure we learn the lesson because this can’t happen again," he warned. In the press conference that followed, Arteta elaborated on the moments when the ball was contested 50‑50 and more often than not, it fell to Brighton.
He acknowledged technical errors that opened up Arsenal in dangerous ways and stressed the need for faster recovery when the team found itself in trouble. "From the first throw‑in you could sense it, it was so clear.
We put ourselves in trouble one time, two times, three times and we needed to get out of that much quicker than that," he said. The loss snapped Arsenal’s run of eight straight Premier League victories. While Arteta was critical of his side’s performance, he also called for perspective as the club heads into a three‑week international break.
He reminded everyone that the recent successes – six or seven weeks of strong form since the World Cup break – should not be discounted. "It’s not going to take away what the team has done and the boys have done in the last six or seven weeks since coming back from the World Cup," he said.
"With 18 players coming back, what we’ve done, the way we’ve competed and the amount of games we’ve won has been remarkable. But this is a big lesson for all of us to understand what it takes to win at this level." Sky Sports analyst Nick Wright observed that Arsenal are rarely out‑fought, but on this occasion they could not cope with Brighton’s intensity. The visitors’ pressing was described as "incredible" in the first half, and Arsenal failed to raise their level in the second. Opta data showed Brighton won possession in the final third nine times – the second‑highest total for any side in a Premier League match this season and the most ever against Arsenal in a single game, whether this term or the previous one.
Brighton’s early pressure left Arsenal disoriented, with new signing Bruno Guimarães struggling to find his footing. The Gunners never regained their composure, and Brighton capitalised on set‑piece opportunities, scoring their third goal from a dangerous corner.
The win also served as a form of revenge for Brighton after a contentious defeat to Arsenal in the same fixture last season. Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler praised his side’s "special" performance, noting that the victory moved his team up to third place, just two points behind Arsenal. Their tally of 16 goals in the first five games of the season is the highest by any Premier League side since Manchester City’s 19‑goal start in 2022/23. "Beating the current champions and the best team in England is something special," Hurzeler said, but he emphasized that the result mattered less than the quality of the performance.
"The boys showed real togetherness and intensity. They were horrible to play against because we did the basic things right. Overall I was very pleased with the performance.
I think we deserved to win. It’s a moment the players and the staff can enjoy because they worked hard for this, but it’s also important why we had this success – because we did the basics right and we were brilliant in the duels."