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‘Stop making excuses’ - ‘Sore loser’ Mikel Arteta slammed after Man United defeat

The tactician has been urged to focus on his side’s performances, rather than seek ‘excuses’


Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has, on Sunday evening, been targeted in ruthless fashion by Sky Sports pundit and Manchester United icon Roy Keane.

Arteta, of course, took his troops to Old Trafford a short time ago.

Still in possession of a flawless record with five games on the board in the Premier League, the Gunners faced off with old foes United, hopeful of extending their advantage atop England’s top-flight to a full four points.

When all was said and done in Manchester, though, all associated with Arsenal were brought crashing back down to earth.

This came as Antony’s debut goal was followed by a late brace on the part of Marcus Rashford, to guide the evening’s hosts to an eventual 3-1 triumph.

Speaking in his post-match interview, however, one individual who was evidently of the opinion that the final scoreline was not reflective of the balance of play in Manchester on Sunday was Mikel Arteta.

The Spaniard was quick to make clear his grievances with the standard of officiating, in particular when it came to Gabriel Martinelli’s disallowed opener early in the action, insisting that Arsenal’s overall display was ‘deserving’ of more.

“Inconsistency. What is soft? Last week, we had a foul on Aaron [Ramsdale] that was soft but wasn’t given, a foul on Bukayo [Saka] that was soft but it’s not a penalty. Then today, another soft [challenge] & it’s a foul”, a frustrated Arteta vented.

And it is precisely such comments which, as alluded to above, have since seen Arsenal’s boss singled out for heavy criticism late this evening.

Speaking on Sky Sports in the aftermath of the Old Trafford showpiece, Roy Keane was made aware of Arteta’s frustrations.

And the former Manchester United midfielder was typically blunt in his response, labelling the Spanish tactician ‘a sore loser’:

“I’m fed up of all their excuses. Arteta gets interviewed after the game, he’s a sore loser. Every time he loses a game, I listen to him, it’s about what they didn’t do properly or the officials - stop making excuses.”

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Conor Laird

Conor Laird

Die-hard Juventus fan with a love for all things Italian, and a real soft spot for Arsenal cult heroes. Emmanuel Eboue, Nicklas Bendtner, Philippe Senderos... Give them all statues outside the Emirates.


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