Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal in "really positive" position despite goalless draw

Mikel Arteta has insisted that Arsenal have progressed on their positive path despite being second best in their goalless draw against Brighton on Saturday evening.

The Gunners failed to find the target themselves but did keep a clean sheet at the Amex, meaning they have avoided defeat for four consecutive Premier League matches and conceded only once in that time.

That run, which includes wins over Norwich, Burnley and Tottenham, has come after their lost 2-0 to both Brentford and Chelsea and then 5-0 at the hands of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

While Arsenal have improved following their early performances, Brighton will be the most disappointed to have come away with only a point on Saturday, with Arteta feeling content.

On their recent run of form, Arteta told BBC Sport: "We have conceded one goal in the last five games which is really positive. It is a really positive block of games that has helped us change the situation.

"We can now focus on the things we are doing well and work on the ones we need to improve."

And added over the overall performance: "In the first half we struggled to dominate the game.

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"They proposed a really aggressive game, we struggled to break the press and that caused us problems because there was a lot of transitions and one-on-one situations that we could not deal with.

"We improved a little bit in the second half and had a couple open situations that could have been big chances.

"We managed to get a point today because we defended the last 15-20 metres of the pitch really well. I think for the rest there is a lot of things we have to get better at."

Brighton boss Graham Potter told Sky Sports: "We tried everything. I think [the fans] were really happy and proud of their team because the performance was fantastic.

"In the first half especially we were really, really good and played with real courage, intensity and quality – especially when you consider the quality of the opponent.

"Of course as coaches we want to win but in terms of performance it was as good as I can remember."

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