Arteta Praises Opponents After Crushing Defeat; Tottenham Fans Demand Manager's Exit

Brighton dominated from the opening whistle at the Amex Stadium, breaching Arsenal's usually solid defense before halftime with long-range strikes from Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas. Shortly after the second half began, Chema Andres extended their lead to 3-0 with a header from a corner kick.

"I am incredibly disappointed. First and foremost, we must congratulate Brighton on their victory; I believe they deserved it," Arteta was quoted by DPA.

"In my opinion, they were the better team. We lacked the execution of certain fundamental aspects that are essential in football, especially in the Premier League. We were far from that," added the Spanish coach.

Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for the English championship title last season, and this year, they were expected to cruise to a successful defense. They started the season impressively, winning all seven competitive matches before Saturday's game.

However, Arteta stated that this loss, coming just before the three-week international break, was timely and served as a reminder of how challenging this season will be: "This is a big lesson for us. However, it doesn't change what the team and the players themselves have achieved over the past six or seven weeks since returning from the World Cup.

Considering that 18 players returned, our performances, style of play, and the number of wins are truly remarkable. But this is an important lesson for all of us to understand what it takes to win at this level."

His squad consequently dropped from first to second in the table on goal difference behind Manchester City, who still had Sunday's match against Sunderland to play. Brighton, after eliminating Manchester United in the League Cup, secured another valuable scalp, sitting third in the table, two points behind the leading duo.

Tottenham players finally scored their first goals in their fifth league match, with Slovak goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka watching from the home bench. However, they succumbed 3-2 to Aston Villa, giving the visitors their first win of the season.

"We were too fragile. In the second half, we lost energy; it's my responsibility, but at that moment in the game, we need to defend better, more compactly, leaders need to be leaders. I am very sad and frustrated with the performance. We cannot lose this game in this manner. The second goal we conceded was unacceptable," said "Spurs" manager Roberto de Zerbi.

After the match, home fans waved him off and chanted: "De Zerbi out!"