'It should never be 2-1' — Arteta reacts to Arsenal win over Brighton

The Gunners took a well-deserved lead in the first half through a sharp, left-footed strike from Martin Odegaard on the edge of the area.

The match seemed all but over when Georginio Rutter accidentally headed a Declan Rice corner into his own net just seven minutes into the second half.

However, in a recurring theme for Arsenal, they allowed their opponents a way back into the contest.

Brighton narrowed the deficit when Diego Gomez scored on the rebound after Yasin Ayari's shot struck the post.

The home crowd's nerves were frayed further when David Raya was forced into a spectacular full-stretch save to deny Yakuba Minteh an unlikely equalizer.

In his post-match press conference, Arteta expressed mixed feelings. "Very happy with the performance, individually and collectively, so dominant," he said.

"We were a big threat, so very pleased with all of that. But the margins should have been much bigger."

"With the amount of situations, chances, open chances that we generated through the game, it should never be 2-1. But that’s the Premier League, that’s the step that we have to make."

The tense finish mirrored Arsenal's midweek match against Crystal Palace, where they were taken to a penalty shootout after conceding from the opponent's first shot on target.

Arteta acknowledged that managing these high-pressure moments is a crucial learning curve for his squad.

"We have to be able to go through that with normality, with showing composure and understanding that if you don’t do that well, you are not efficient in the opponent’s box, then you have to be incredibly good in your own."