Arteta explains reasons behind Arsenal’s thrashing at Brighton
By Joel Masibo, September 20, 2026Arsenal mnager Mikel Arteta has reflected on his men’s thorough beating in the Premier League at Brighton Hove and Albion on Saturday, September 19, 2026.
The Spanish coach has also urged his players to learn from their 3-0 defeat after their perfect start to the season came to an abrupt end at the Amex Stadium.
Arsenal had won each of their opening seven matches across competitions before Brighton exposed a number of weaknesses on Saturday, leaving Arteta disappointed with both the performance and the result.
The hosts applied sustained pressure from the opening stages and disrupted Arsenal’s attempts to build momentum. Brighton eventually took the lead in the first half before adding further goals after the break to complete a convincing victory.
Arteta accepted that Brighton deserved the points but also pointed to shortcomings within his own team, particularly in the basic aspects of the game.
“Very disappointed,” Mikel said after the game. “First of all with the performance and then with the result. I think we need to give credit to Brighton as well, the manner that they played today, the way they competed today, and overall I think they deserve to win the game.
“A lot was down to us, certain standards and basic things that we didn’t do at all. That put us on the back foot right from the beginning of the match. Without the ball, when we had to win the first duel of the second ball.”
The defeat was Arsenal’s first in the league since April 2026 and brought an end to their unbeaten run at the start of the campaign.
Arsenal players need to take the lesson
Rather than allowing the setback to overshadow their impressive opening weeks, Arteta wants his squad to use the disappointment as a reminder of the standards required if they are to maintain their challenge.
“ We need to feel the pain. That’s not going to take away our perspective and how much we value what the team has done in the first six or seven weeks of the season. Coming back after the World Cup with 18 players involved, with everybody coming at late stages, the way we have competed, the way we have played, the way we have dominated. It’s been really good. But today we need to take this lesson very, very seriously because it’s going to happen.
“I think we need to look at it in isolation first and get the learnings and then we can put it into the overall picture.”
Arteta’s immediate focus will now be on ensuring the Brighton loss becomes a learning experience rather than the beginning of a poor run.
The Arsenal manager acknowledged the team’s strong work over the opening weeks but stressed that the standards that produced those results must return quickly as the campaign continues.