Paul Merson questions Mikel Arteta's decision to start £75m ace Bruno Guimaraes ahead of Myles Lewis-Skelly in Brighton rout

Paul Merson believes Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta made a mistake in starting Bruno Guimaraes against Brighton.

The Brazilian midfielder struggled – along with the rest of his team-mates – as the Gunners were soundly beaten 3-0 on the south coast.

'I’d like to ask Mikel Arteta what his thinking was behind playing Bruno Guimaraes over Myles Lewis-Skelly,' wrote former Arsenal forward Merson in his Sky Sports column.

'I don’t know if he thought it would be a nice football match, that Brighton would be tired after coming from 2-0 down against Manchester United on Wednesday?

'It just didn’t work. Arsenal got outrun, they got overpowered in midfield, they got ripped to shreds.

'Bruno’s a good footballer. If you’re playing a low block, I don’t see the problem in playing him. When you’re going to dominate the ball, there’s no-one like him when you have time. He’s a good player and passer – and he’s very intelligent.