Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat by Brighton at the Amex Stadium brought their perfect Premier League start to an abrupt end, with Mikel Arteta admitting his side were second best in the fundamentals of the game.
Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas put Brighton in control before half-time, while Chema Andres completed the scoring after the interval. The result ended Arsenal’s run of four successive league victories and left them second on goal difference with 12 points.
Arteta admits Arsenal abandoned their principles
Arteta offered little in the way of excuses after the match, accepting that Arsenal had fallen well below their usual standards in possession and without the ball.
“Brighton were the better team. There are certain basics that you need to accomplish in the Premier League that we were very far from,” the Arsenal manager said.
He also pointed to an uncharacteristically poor technical performance from his players, adding: “The amount of technical errors we did… we didn’t respect any principle of play.”
Brighton’s aggressive pressing repeatedly unsettled Arsenal, who struggled to win first and second balls. The hosts were sharper in the physical contests and prevented the visitors from establishing the control that has been a defining feature of Arteta’s side.
The scoreline arguably understated Brighton’s superiority, with the Seagulls creating further opportunities to extend their lead. Brighton have now scored 16 Premier League goals this season, the highest total in the division.
For Arsenal, the defeat was their heaviest in three years and the first time they had conceded three goals in a competitive match since December 2023.
Arsenal face a response after Brighton setback
The result does not undo the club’s impressive opening to their title defence. Arsenal had won their first four league matches and conceded only once during that run.
However, the nature of the Arsenal defeat by Brighton is likely to concern Arteta more than the margin itself. His team were unable to pass cleanly under pressure, found no consistent rhythm in midfield and were repeatedly outmatched in the key duels.
There is still plenty of time for Arsenal to respond and they remain firmly involved at the top of the Premier League. But Arteta’s assessment made clear that Brighton exposed weaknesses in the areas that normally underpin his team’s performances.
