MIKEL ARTETA let rip at his Arsenal side with “pure anger” after they were stunned by Brighton’s injury-time winner in their 2-1 defeat in the Premier League.
The Gunners boss did not mince his words as he begun the post-mortem on another hugely disappointing result for the North London side.
Arsenal’s record signing Nicolas Pepe had given Arteta‘s team the lead in the second half with a beautiful curling effort.
But Lewis Dunk bundled in an equaliser after 75 minutes before Neal Maupay broke Gunners’ hearts to seal a 2-1 defeat with virtually the last kick of the game.
BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand claimed the former Manchester City No2 was venting his “pure anger” at players after a demoralising defeat in their desperate chase for a Champions League qualification spot.
Arteta told BT Sport: “It is unacceptable in the way we lost the game.
“The fact we missed so many chances, the fact we gave them a goal and we did not compete for the second goal.
“At this level you cannot give the goals that we give away.
“In the Premier League you make two mistakes like this and it is goals.”
Ferdinand suggested Arteta’s post-match response was stinging with anger after seeing his side let slip a 1-0 lead.
Speaking on BT Sport, the Manchester United legend said: “Listen, for a manager to come out and say his team are not competing he has got to be in a state of mind of pure anger and he’s going to want to find answers from individuals.
“He’s going to be pressuring these players over the next couple of weeks.
“Two games, to come out of this period of lockdown, you expect your team to come out at minimum fighting, showing character and drive to get a result.
“But this team have come out almost flat-lined. They haven’t been able to get themselves going, or get into a game even.”
The Gunners were looking to bounce back from Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat at Man City but they now have nothing to show from their first two games since the league restarted.
They are all but out of the race for the top four – Arsenal are eight points behind Frank Lampard‘s Chelsea in fourth, with the Blues playing Aston Villa on Sunday.
It was not all doom and gloom for Arteta – despite goalkeeper Bernd Leno adding to his increasing injury crisis – who did take some positives from his side’s display on the south coast.
He added: “We have to try to lift the players. There’s a lot of things they have done really well but we don’t compete.
“This is the challenge we all have at the football club, to rebuild to something that is worth the club we are representing.
“I just worry about tomorrow and lifting the players and winning the next football game.”
