Mikel Arteta says Arsenal players must learn to control their emotions

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta believes his players need to have better control of their emotions.

The Gunners have lost their first two Premier League games back since the restart, slipping to defeat at Manchester City before conceding a last-gasp goal to lose 2-1 at Brighton on Saturday.

Arteta saw his players react angrily after goalkeeper Bernd Leno appeared to suffer a serious knee injury, landing awkwardly under close attention from Brighton match-winner Neal Maupay.

Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi could face action from the Football Association after putting his hands around the throat of Maupay at the full-time whistle, with the striker saying Arsenal need to "learn humility" after the game.

While Arteta disagreed with Maupay's assessment, he did admit that showing more restraint may be necessary.

"When we show frustration we have to show it in the right way," he said.

"I haven't seen the images [of Guendouzi] or what happened, but we will talk about it if that is the case. Emotionally, we have to control the situations much better."

FA to consider Guendouzi charge

The FA will study the match report from referee Martin Atkinson in the coming days before deciding whether to take action against Matteo Guendouzi. The Arsenal midfield grabbed Brighton's match winner Neal Maupay by the neck after the final whistle at the Amex on Saturday.

Under the fast-track process Guendouzi could miss Arsenal’s next Premier League fixture at Southampton on Thursday if he is charged.

A decision is likely to be made on Monday or Tuesday. The player would then have until 6pm the following day to respond to any charge.

Any hearing, if required, can happen before next game. The unusual circumstances of multiple games in a short period of time do not impact on the disciplinary process. It’s very similar to the Christmas schedule when discipline issues usually have a much quicker turnaround.

Arsenal went ahead on the south coast through a fine individual strike from Nicolas Pepe, but they have struggled to hold on to leads and were once again found wanting.

"I think every game is completely different," Arteta replied when asked if not being able to stay ahead was a mental issue for the players.

"When I was talking about competing, there are details when you go ahead and game management-wise where we have to improve a lot.

"But we are a very young squad, I don't want to use it as an excuse because it is still a football game and it doesn't matter at what age you are competing, but at this level you can't do it."