Arsenal’s perfect start to the 2026-27 Premier League campaign came to an abrupt end with a 3-0 thumping by Fabian Hurzeler’s impressive Brighton.
Goals from Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas, and Chema Andres secured all three points for the home side, who now climb up to third.
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the game, Arteta admitted that the defeat was ‘very painful’ but made sure to give Brighton credit.
“First of all congratulations to Brighton. 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,” he said.
"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.
"Credit to Brighton for what they have done. I think we were very far from our level. 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 don't do what you need to do."