Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta says his conversations with refereeing bosses will “remain private” but he wants officiating to “improve” following the row over the penalty his side conceded at Sunderland in the Premier League.

Arteta claimed the “game was unprotected” when John Brooks and Video Assistant Referee Stuart Attwell awarded a second-half spot kick following a tussle between Gunners defender Ezri Konsa and Sunderland counterpart Dan Ballard at the Stadium of Light last Saturday.

Visiting goalkeeper David Raya saved Enzo Le Fee’s spot kick, with Arsenal proceeding to win 2-0 – helped by Bukayo Saka’s added-time penalty – to stay perfect this season.

“I’m here to try to give my opinion, defend my club and give the very best to our players,” said Arteta. “I will make mistakes sometimes but I will try to be as fair as possible.

“It’s not about [a potential] apology; it’s just agreeing whether the decision should have been different or not. Maybe [refereeing leaders] have a different opinion. Let’s try to improve and move forward together.”

Brighton vs Arsenal: Arteta ‘respect’ for Hurzeler

Arteta said his conflict with Brighton & Hove Albion counterpart Fabian Hurzeler last season is “all done” and “all in the past”.

Arsenal visit the Seagulls on Saturday for the first time since their controversial win at the Amex Stadium in March, when Bukayo Saka’s ninth-minute strike proved the only goal and Hurzeler questioned their tactics afterwards.

“I have huge respect for Fabian, what he’s done and what Brighton have done as a club,” said Arteta. “It’s just remarkable. [This] is going to be a beautiful game to watch, I’m sure.”

After four league games, Arsenal are level on points with Manchester City at the top of the table. Brighton have seven points after winning 5-0 at Coventry City last Sunday, as well as recovering from 2-0 behind to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

Mikel Arteta: What did Hurzeler say?

“If they win… no-one will ask how they win,” said Hurzeler, discussing Arsenal’s approach to slowing down play. “They deserve to win it.

“But in the end, we have to make limits – or the Premier League has to make the limits. Where will this go in the future? That’s my question.

“In one game you play 60 minutes, and then when you play against Arsenal [it’s] only 50 minutes… is this what the supporters are paying for? Do you get my point?

“Everyone here in the room, did you really enjoy this football game? I’m sure maybe one raises his arm because he’s a big Arsenal fan, but besides that, no chance.

“[Referees] just try to do their job the best they can do, but they have to stick to some things and I think the Premier League definitely have to help them more.

“At the moment, I have the feeling Arsenal are [using] their own rules, no matter how they are playing. That’s why I think it’s difficult to judge.

“I will never be that kind of manager who tries to win in that way… every team will manage and waste time, but there has to be a limit and the limit has to be set by the Premier League [and] referees. At the moment, they just can do what they want.

“I ask one question: [have] you [ever seen], in a Premier League game, a goalkeeper going down three times? No? So I think we shouldn’t waste too many words about [Raya doing that] tonight.

“We should focus on us, we should focus on our performance. We can’t control these kinds of things. The Premier League has to find the rules and it’s not my business.”

Mikel Arteta: Arsenal boss’s response

When he was asked about Arteta’s remarks at the time, Arteta sarcastically called them a “surprise”. “You go back to [our] previous games and you’ll find a lot of comments like this, always,” he added.

“I think they [critics] love our players. I mean, every time they talk about our players, I think they are the most loved ones in the country.

“[Do I] care? Yeah. Depends. On the comments. And the purpose of that.”

Hurzeler praised Arsenal on Friday. “Last season was last season,” he said. “Opinions are very important and I will definitely always share mine if I get asked.

“I congratulate Arsenal for being deserved champions. They’ve started very impressively and are maybe the best team in England, with their squad.

“It’s our challenge to welcome them in our stadium with a special atmosphere.”

Where to watch Brighton vs Arsenal: TV channel, live online stream

The final game for both teams before the international break starts at 15:00 BST (10:00 ET / 07:00 PT) on Saturday and is not being shown on live TV in the UK.

Here’s the full list of Premier League international broadcasters.