Brighton player Neal Maupay accused Arsenal of “lacking humility” and believed they got what they deserved on the game, with the forward insisting he was not to blame for the injury to Bernd Leno.
Leno was furious with Maupay after he landed awkwardly after a collision between the duo during the first half and was seen shouting at the striker as he was carried off on a stretcher.
To add insult to Arsenal’s injury, Maupay went on to score the winner in stoppage time, with a number of Gunners stars then seen remonstrating with him after the final whistle.
Speaking after the game, he revealed he went to the Arsenal dressing room after the first half to apologise for the incident involving Leno, which he said was accidental.
But he was left less than impressed with the club’s behaviour on the pitch. He told BT Sport: “At half-time I went to the manager Mikel Arteta to apologise. I never meant to injure the keeper. I jumped for the ball.
“I apologise to the team and to him (Leno) as well. I have been through a bad injury, it is hard.
“Arsenal players maybe need to learn humility sometimes. They were talking a lot. They got what they deserved.
“I just went to get the ball really. When he landed he twisted his knee. It is football, there is contact. I never meant to hurt him. I apologise again and wish him a speedy recovery.”
“I am so happy because it our first win this new year. The team has worked really had the last few months,” added Maupay.
“We have been training really, really hard. The team kept working. The whole club – managers and staff – did a very good job to have us in a good place.
“It is just a win, we have eight games to go – some very big games. Anything can happen and we need to stay focused. It is a good start, we are really happy but we need to get straight back in tomorrow to focus on the next game.”
