Roberto De Zerbi felt Albion were in the game against Arsenal until they conceded the second goal.
After Bukayo Saka had put Arsenal in front with a first-half penalty they doubled their lead at the Amex through Kai Havertz midway through the second period before Leandro Trossard netted a late third.
“We played a good first half and until the second goal we were in the game,” he said.
“But at this moment without so many important players it is tough to create too many chances to score. We played a good game but without [creating] big chances.”
De Zerbi had no complaints about the penalty, when Tariq Lamptey was penalised for tripping Gabriel Jesus. “The penalty was clear, the referee was good,” he added.
Albion dropped to tenth but the gap between them and West Ham, who are in the final European spot in seventh, has stretched to five points after only the Seagulls’ second home league defeat.
“We are sorry for ourselves and our fans but in this moment it is very tough for us to compete against Arsenal, Liverpool,” added De Zerbi.
Match reaction in association with SnickersUK.com