Arteta: The defeat was a painful lesson

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s manager, described his team’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton in the English Premier League as a “harsh and painful lesson.” Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Arteta said: “I am deeply disappointed by the performance and the result.” He added: “Brighton dominated us comprehensively, their level was far superior to ours, while we delivered a very poor performance and did not show sufficient respect for our opponent.” The Spanish manager continued: “Brighton deserve praise. What happened is an important lesson that must be absorbed, but this loss does not diminish what our team has achieved in recent weeks.” However, the Arsenal manager qualified his remarks: “But we must ensure that we learn from this lesson, because this scenario could happen again.” Also speaking to the BBC, Arteta noted: “We made numerous technical errors in the first 30 minutes, which put us under constant pressure, and everything that happened in the match was linked to our poor start.” He added: “The international break will give us more time to reflect on what happened. It is a painful defeat; it is possible to become a weak team with exposed defenses in any match where you fail to carry out your required tasks.”