Arteta Claims 'Eyes in Pain' After Brighton Loss, Praises Arsenal's Response Against Leeds

Mikel Arteta stated that Arsenal rediscovered their identity in their comeback victory against Leeds, a performance that came after enduring what he described as "pain in his eyes" for a week due to their previous heavy loss to Brighton.

The Gunners, who suffered a significant 3-0 defeat to Brighton prior to the international break, were sluggish in their recent match against Leeds, falling behind to an early goal from James Justin.

Remarkable Second-Half Turnaround

However, a triple substitution in the second half initiated a dramatic shift in momentum. Goals from Riccardo Calafiori and Bruno Guimaraes ultimately secured the three points for Arsenal.

Arteta highlighted the team's ability to overcome the challenge posed by Leeds, who had been undefeated in the Premier League. "Before the game we talked about two things: the challenge ahead because Leeds had not lost in the Premier League and it was going to be really tough," he explained. "And second one, to restore our identity and be ourselves again. We weren't pleased against Brighton and today was an opportunity to put that right. We certainly reacted in the manner we expected."

Arteta emphasized the desire and personality shown by his squad. "With 12:30pm at home after a defeat, it is a bad mixture and we got out of that through pinching our desire to win, to have a reaction, to show the personality and courage that we have in this team," he said. "The finishers came in to make a huge difference again to help us win the game and that's what we are made of."

He elaborated on the lingering impact of the Brighton defeat, stating, "(It was) not great, especially because you question yourself, what you haven't done in that game to be able to witness that again, my eyes were in pain."

Praise for Guimaraes

Arteta specifically commended Bruno Guimaraes for his impactful performance after coming off the bench. "The timing, the connection and the execution of it (goal), it was a beauty," Arteta remarked. "He’s done it twice already, against Sunderland and against Leeds as well and that's the quality that is needed at this level to continue to win."

The manager also used Guimaraes' performance as a benchmark for the entire team, noting that the midfielder "wasn't at that level against Brighton." Arteta stressed the importance of consistent high performance, stating, "This is the level for Arsenal. Every week, every game, every minute, every action you have to be at that level."

He concluded by expressing his intention to demand the same level of commitment from all players. "I’m going to demand the same with the (other) players because if we do that we will raise the standards and we'll be a better team."