Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has blamed a series of “technical errors” for his side’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.
The result ended Arsenal’s winning start to the season as Brighton secured a convincing victory at the Amex Stadium.
Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas scored before half-time to give the hosts a two-goal advantage, while Chema Andres added a third after the break.
Arteta said Arsenal’s mistakes in the opening stages allowed Brighton to put them under sustained pressure.
“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 Spanish manager described the defeat as an important lesson for his players and acknowledged that Arsenal had performed below their usual level.
“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 expected standards.
“Credit to Brighton for what they have done. I think we were very far from our level,” he added.
The manager said the international break would give his team time to reflect on the defeat.
“The international break means we have more time to swallow because it’s very, very painful. In any game you can get highly exposed if you don’t do what you need to do,” Arteta said.
