Arsene Wenger put on a brave face after Arsenal were beaten 2-0 at home by Liverpool Saturday, where Emmanuel Frimpong was red carded and centre-back Laurent Koscielny limped off to add to their injury list.
Arsenal's luck was out after Aaron Ramsey's own goal and a last-minute strike from substitute Luis Suarez handed the visitors victory.
Wenger, who now has half his first-choice team out because of suspension or injury, must regroup for next week's crucial Champions League play-off second leg in Udinese -for which they hold a slender 1-0 lead.
Then there is a small matter of a trip to Manchester United.
"We had eight players out and still had a good performance, so it is not all doom and gloom," Wenger said. "We live under circumstances where every defeat is an absolute disgrace and an earthquake. We are very disappointed that we lost the game, but we are at the start of the season."
Arsenal fans again chanted for Wenger to invest in more talent to add depth to the squad.
"The target is to have a good team and good players. You can spend money and have a bad team," the manager said. "For now it is important for us to lift the players."
Samir Nasri - whose proposed move to City has stalled - did not applaud the crowd as the teams came out, and was then jeered by some fans when his name was announced. However, he put in an assured display.
Liverpool had not won at Arsenal since 2000.
"I think we deserved a goal. That's why I say the squad is better than last year," said manager Kenny Dalglish. "This is a great example of how strong the squad is."
