Arsene Wenger has praised his team for beating Brighton 2-0 at the Emirates on Sunday for showing a good response since their humiliating 4-0 defeat at Liverpool.

Wenger’s side have posted six wins and a draw since that horrible afternoon on Merseyside including a comfortable Sunday stroll against Brighton that has now moved them up to fifth place in the Premier League.

Goals from Nacho Monreal and Alex Iwobi eased the Gunners to a victory that saw the first half intensity replaced by a more relaxed attitude in the second 45 minutes.

Speakin afterwards Wenger said: “I would say that our focus and our pace in the game was a bit ‘in-and-out’. We had good moments and moments where we lost our balls that we normally don’t lose.

“But we got what we wanted.

“I knew that after the game at Liverpool everybody would write us off. But I knew it just depends on us. How much we respond. Nothing is permanent.

“You’re not bad in a permanent way if you can do something about it. And you’re not good in a permanent way if you don’t keep your urgency.

“We responded in a united way [after the Liverpool defeat] and we put some wins together – and some good performances too.”

He also said that the forthcoming international break is coming at a bad time after the good run of form his team has put together.

“Our last international break was a nightmare’ he said. “We would have loved to have continued to play but we cannot do anything about that.

“Let’s hope the players come back in a good shape.”

Wenger added that Laurent Koscielny is not fit to play for France because of a slight achilles problem while Mesut Ozil has an inflammation of his knee, but that he expects both to be fit for selection after the international break.