Bruno Guimarães used his first Premier League start for Arsenal to deliver a blunt public verdict on the reigning champions.
“We cannot accept this while wearing this shirt of a champion,” the Brazil midfielder told the media after Brighton’s 3-0 win at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
The summer signing from Newcastle United did not spare his own performance either.
“We are very disappointed, we have to learn from our mistakes because today we were far away from our level,” Guimarães said.
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“We were too sloppy with the ball, didn’t win any duels.”
An apology to the travelling supporters
Guimarães went further and apologised directly to the away end, where Arsenal fans had watched their side out-pressed and out-fought for 90 minutes.
“We have to say sorry to the fans because it wasn’t good enough.”
“We have to learn from our mistakes, wearing this shirt this is not acceptable, this is not the level we want but now we have time to focus on the national team as when we come back, we have to win games.”
Arteta: ‘Very far from that’
Mikel Arteta was equally cutting. The manager who ended Arsenal’s 22-year Premier League title drought last season, and was named Manager of the Season in May, refused to soften the credit due to Brighton.
“Extremely disappointed. But first I think we have to congratulate Brighton for the victory,” Arteta told his post-match press conference.
“I think they deserve it, I think they were the better team.”
He then turned to the basics.
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“There were certain basics you need to accomplish in football, especially in the Premier League that we were very far from.”
“You could see from the first throw-in, it was so clear. We put ourselves in trouble one, two, three times.”
Arteta pointed to a midfield pairing that had worked at Sunderland but did not survive contact with Brighton’s press.
“It’s not going to take away what the team has done in the last six or seven weeks. But this is a big lesson for all of us to understand what it takes to win at this level.”
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Heaviest league defeat since 2023
Goals from Pascal Groß, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andrés handed Arsenal their heaviest top-flight defeat since May 2023, when they were also beaten 3-0 by Brighton, that time at the Emirates.
Seven straight Premier League wins had opened the title defence with a perfect record. Brighton’s man-to-man press systematically dismantled that platform inside 45 minutes on the south coast.
Arsenal return to league action on 10 October at home to Leeds United, after the international break.
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