Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side will be looking to respond to defeat last time out to Crystal Palace when they face Brighton on Saturday afternoon. The Gunners know that three points will be crucial towards their campaign for a top four finish this season, with Champions League qualification on the line.
The Spaniard saw his side return to action on Monday, though they were slow to respond to the hard pressing of Palace. Goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta, Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha condemned the side to a 3-0 defeat and saw them slump to fifth behind rivals Tottenham.
Arteta said the performance was “unacceptable” in his post-match press conference, telling the media: “We weren’t at the races, especially in the first half, we were late to every ball, we were soft in the duels and we didn’t earn the right to play. We were sloppy on the ball and we didn’t have any dominance, any sequences of play where we could take some control of the game and we conceded two poor goals [before half-time]. Overall it’s unacceptable. We put our hands up, apologise, regroup.”
