David Luiz admits that Arsenal must improve their defensive mentality if they want to compete for the Premier League title again in future.

After opening the season with successive victories over Newcastle and Burnley, the Gunners continued their wretched record against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, losing 3-1 to the reigning European champions.

Luiz in particular endured an afternoon to forget on Merseyside, conceding a penalty for pulling back Mohamed Salah and, while on a yellow card, also being comprehensively beaten by the Egyptian en route to Liverpool's third goal.

Arsenal shipped 51 goals in the Premier League last term - the highest number of any team to finish in the top 10 - and for all the talk of a dynamic attacking trio that before the game drew early comparisons to their opponents' vaunted front three, it is defensively where the most significant improvements need to be made.

"Yeah, we have to [bring the number of goals down]," Luiz said. "I think if you concede a lot of goals you cannot fight for the title so this is one main thing we have to think about and try to reduce and try to make the team stronger.

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"It is not just about me, it is not just about the defenders, it is about the mentality of the team.

"I think the team already did great against Newcastle, did great against Burnley to understand the kind of game we were playing for.

"We were clinical in Newcastle with one clear opportunity we score and don’t concede.

"With Burnley, we were clinical to understand the game is always to play first ball, second ball, fighting, they try to score with free-kicks and things like that and we did amazing and today I think it could be a different game if we score [first] but we did not and so this is about football.

"Football is like that. Every week is a new history and we have to try and learn and improve our game."

Luiz - an £8million deadline-day arrival from Chelsea - has been part of strong defensive units at his former clubs, though clearly feels he also has to continue to learn as Arsenal seek to make those necessary strides forward under Unai Emery.

"I think now in the modern football everybody defends when they don’t have the ball and everybody attacks when they do have the ball," he added.

"I think I am just trying to bring here what I did in the last clubs I play for, trying to make everybody believe we can do some big things, trying to do my best, this is going to be always like that.

"For me it is about the end, it is not about the beginning. In the end, you are going to make the counts and you are going to see what went well and what did not and in this period we have to try and improve.

"This is the mentality for life. I think in life you have to be able to learn every single day."

Arsenal boss Emery described the penalty given away at Anfield as "very soft", arguing that there was not enough in the incident for referee Anthony Taylor to point to the spot.

Discussing it afterwards, Luiz revealed that even Salah told him that he did not feel the contact.

"It is reflex, when I turn myself, I already saw the pass and it was just instinct, it is why I take out the power and even Momo is my friend, Salah, I spoke with him and he say ‘I didn’t feel your power, that is why I continue to go to the ball’" he said.

"But now with the VAR, they cannot know the know the power, maybe if I pull him just in his shoulder with my arms, maybe it is going to use more power and make him turn and not go to the ball and maybe it is not a penalty, but with the shirt now, they always give the penalty.

"It is difficult. I don’t want to judge them because it is difficult also for the referees and the people who look at the videos and see the shirt, he give the penalty.

"I think the yellow after that was a bit difficult because this concerns, like I say, you are playing against a striker who is fast and you cannot make a foul."