Mikel Arteta acknowledged that Arsenal had been given a harsh lesson by an in-form Brighton side after their perfect start to the season came to a sudden halt on Saturday. The league champions had not suffered a three-goal defeat since 10 May 2023 – 1,224 days earlier – when Brighton secured a 3-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium. This time, Arsenal were outplayed for much of the contest as goals from Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andrés completed an emphatic win.
“They earned the victory, and there is a lot for us to learn from this,” said a frustrated Arteta, who believed his team lacked their customary fighting spirit. “You could see it from the opening throw-in. It was obvious straight away.
“We created problems for ourselves repeatedly, and we have to react and escape those situations much faster. That is one of the most important lessons we must take away from this match.
“We understood how difficult the game would be, and our initial discussions focused on the opening phase. If you fail to come through that period on top, it becomes incredibly hard to control the match or give yourself a realistic chance of winning. At this standard, you must recognise and respect that before considering anything else.”
When asked whether the result served as a warning after nine consecutive league victories, a run that helped Arsenal claim their first title in 22 years in May, Arteta said: “The situation is completely clear to us. We knew what was required and spent two days discussing how we needed to perform here. It was also our fourth away fixture within a very short period.
“We understand what is needed to win each match, and we also know what will be required against Leeds when we return. None of that is unexpected, but it does not lessen our disappointment or change how we feel right now.”
Brighton have now defeated the defending champions in each of the past three seasons. Having scored 16 goals in five games, they are highly likely to enter the international break as the league’s leading scorers. Fabian Hürzeler likened the 35-year-old Gross to “a fine wine” after his influential display and also praised the united performance of the entire team.
“Every player had the same attitude today: ‘My first responsibility is to defend, and we do that together as a team,’” he said. “Our plan was to build our performance through a series of small victories. People often think only a goal represents success, but it can also mean earning the first throw-in or corner, winning the opening header or making the first successful tackle.
“When you succeed in those little moments and treat each one as an individual victory, your confidence grows as the match develops. From there, you can begin achieving increasingly significant results.”
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