Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton lost 5-1 at home to Everton (Picture: Sky Sports)
Roberto De Zerbi has warned Arsenal they will see the ‘true Brighton’ next weekend after a shock 5-1 home defeat to Everton.
Brighton’s European ambitions were dealt a major blow on Monday as they were thumped at the Amex Stadium by relegation-battlers Everton.
Everton, who started the day in the relegation zone, led 3-0 at half-time and also won the second-half against a Brighton side challenging for Europe.
Brighton were booed off at the interval and after the full-time whistle but De Zerbi has vowed to bounce back and produce an improved performance next weekend against Premier League title challengers Arsenal.
The Seagulls visit the Emirates Stadium on Sunday hoping to dent Arsenal’s title hopes, with the Gunners currently just one point behind leaders Manchester City.
‘It’s very difficult to explain this performance,’ De Zerbi said. ‘It was a really strange game. We conceded the first goal after 30 seconds.
‘This wasn’t the true Brighton, it’s a bad day. I think the problem is not about tactical disposition, I think we didn’t prepare in terms of motivation, in terms of mentality maybe.
Everton stunned Brighton at the Amex Stadium (Picture: Getty)
‘Playing a lot of games in a small period is also difficult. We are not used to playing so many games in a row. We have to work on this and our mentality.
‘I can understand. I’m still proud of my players. The first responsibility is the coach. It’s my responsibility.
‘We have to remember this game and this date, May 8th, because it can be a very important day for us if we improve in mentality. We have to get ready to play the next game if we want to fight for the big target.
‘Before this game we were playing fantastic football, and getting fantastic results. We have to be proud of our work.
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‘Today we made a big mistake because we showed we were not ready to play this game. Too many mistakes, we lost the first half, we weren’t the true Brighton. This is what we must improve.
‘I spoke with the players as I do after every game. I think on Sunday we will show our quality, we will get back to our style and you will see the true Brighton.’
While it was an evening to forget for Brighton, Everton were soon celebrating a crucial victory in their bid to avoid relegation.
The Toffees – who sacked Frank Lampard earlier in the season – are now 17th in the Premier League, two points above the drop zone with three games remaining.
Everton boss Sean Dyche said: ‘I said to the lads it is about focus. Our tactical shape has been pretty good since I’ve come in here.
Sean Dyche’s side were able to climb out of the relegation zone (Picture: Getty)
‘But it’s about focus when they change their tune and try and pop it around the corner and play neat and tidy.
‘But equally it’s not just about shadow play, you’ve got to go and break it up and first half we did that so many times
‘Second half they had a good spell but we calmed that down and I thought we saw the game through very well.
‘A lot of people thought we were good at Leicester, we were very good and conceded soft goals.
‘Tonight we got paid back for that performance because the energy was here, the tactical performance, but also the quality. The quality was there tonight.’
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A shock defeat for the Seagulls.