Arsenal's unbeaten start to the season ended in a 3-0 defeat at Brighton, with Mikel Arteta blaming his players for basic errors.
Mikel Arteta speaks to the BBC after Arsenal's defeat to Brighton
Mikel Arteta hit out at his own Arsenal team. (Image: BBC)
Arsenal were left stunned when their unbeaten start to the season ended with a 3-0 thumping at the hands of Brighton. They are left to dwell on the result, and performance, over the next three weeks as a result of an extended international break. Mikel Arteta's side had carried on from where they left off last season, up until a concerning day on the south coast.
Goals from Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andres inflicted a 3-0 defeat at the AMEX Stadium, but perhaps most worrying was the quality of performance by the visitors. Here, Express Sport has taken a look at the latest developments at Arsenal, with Arteta frustrated with his own players...
Prior to Saturday, Arsenal hadn't shipped three goals in a single match since a December 4-3 triumph over Luton nearly three years ago. Arteta singled out his players following the defeat, insisting they were riddled with mistakes.
He said: "Brighton deserved to win the game. We didn't do the basics right for long periods, especially in the first half. We didn't win enough duels and any second balls and that stretches you. With the errors that we made and especially with the principles we didn't apply against a team that wants to press you.
"So that puts us constantly under pressure and didn't get out of that in the way we normally do. So a lot of things to learn and take, but ultimately disappointed."
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Arsenal's Brazilian midfielder #39 Bruno Guimarães is put under pressure by Brighton's Spanish midfielder # Chema Andrés during
Bruno Guimaraes was singled out for criticism. (Image: Getty)
Summer signing Guimaraes lined up alongside Declan Rice in central midfield against Brighton, but had a difficult afternoon. He was withdrawn after 60 minutes for Mikel Merino and acknowledged afterwards that it had been a poor performance.
Paul Merson, a Sky Sports analyst who made 423 appearances for the Gunners between 1985 and 1997, delivered a scathing verdict on the £75million signing. He said: "A million miles off it. I said at half-time he would come off, but he's stayed on for another 10 minutes or so. It was really quick for him. They closed him down.
"I don't care how good you are. If people get your head down and close you down and make you work, it's a leveller and that's what Brighton have done. They have been absolutely brilliant."
Guimaraes lined up alongside Rice throughout the entire second period against Sunderland. When evaluating why the midfield alteration proved unsuccessful, Arteta referenced this 2-0 victory.
"It worked extremely well when we played Sunderland away," he said. "Today, it didn't work for a lot of things that happened as well behind them to make sure that they could play a completely different game. That's something that will surely evolve. It's in its early stages. They only play together a few minutes and that relationship will for sure improve and give us a lot of joy."