Mikel Arteta was left so seething about the officiating in Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat to Sp*rs that he refused to comment for fear of picking up a suspension.
At the end of a damaging evening for the Gunners, which saw Cedric concede a penalty and Rob Holding pick up a first half red card, the Spaniard spoke of the importance of drawing a line under the match and focusing on Monday’s must-win match at Newcastle.
Here’s the transcript from his post-game interview with Sky Sports.
On a disappointing night…
If I say what I think, I’m suspended six months so I cannot say. I’m allowed to give my interpretation of what happened in the game but I don’t know how to lie and I don’t like lying, so I prefer not to say what I think.
On if he’s unhappy with the refereeing…
I cannot say what I think. I will be suspended.
On if he’s unhappy with his players…
With my players? No. I’m so proud of my players.
On the penalty decision…
Go and get the referee to come in front of the camera and explain his decisions. They are his decisions. I make mine, these are his decisions. It’s a shame because such a beautiful game was destroyed today.
On Holding’s second yellow card…
The decision is made. I cannot change it.
On whether Holding should have been cleverer…
The referee has to make decisions in every action.
On Ben White not being risked after Holding’s red card…
To take the risk in the situation the game was, it didn’t make any sense. Now we focus on Newcastle. That’s our focus. This game is history.
On Gabriel’s injury…
He [Gabriel] felt something. Hopefully, Ben will be fit and we recover Gabi because if not we don’t have enough players in the backline.
On the psychological damage of this defeat…
This game is history for us. I just said that in the dressing room. Now it’s Newcastle. This is gone. We know how it went out of our hands. We have to accept it and now we go to Newcastle and be the team that you’ve seen drive from the beginning in this stadium.
On whether it’s easier said than done for his players to park this game…
No, no, no. It’s very acceptable. You lost a football match in the conditions we lost them, it’s painful but that pain cannot be sustained because we have a huge match on Monday. We now talk about the excitement of playing against Newcastle and we try to beat them.
On whether Sp*rs now have the momentum…
We have two games to play, each of us. As you said, it’s in our hands. We have to do our job.
On what Arsenal have to show in the final two games…
What we showed from the beginning in this stadium.
I bet we and Sp*rs lose our next games, but we clinch top four on a glorious afternoon at home to Everton. Lovely.
Paul Tierney. Harry Kane’s lap dog. He spent half the night chatting to him to make sure he was happy with his decisions.
Yeah, it was weird to see Tierney playing for Spurs. Thought he was out injured, too.
How about getting behind your team?
Even made sure VAR checked Lucas’ handball just incase there was a hint of Cedric’s breath causing a foul
The best was calling the the penalty for handball when it was mourad who handled it.
A well played interview……
A excellent interview and great leadership, we’re in good hands.
I call that The Mourinho Special. If I speak I am in trouble
We Got Super Mik Arteta! 👏👏👏 I love that chant! It’s up there with “One Arsene Wenger”! Please those attending sing it at the highest decibels throughout the match on Monday evening!
Paul Tierney everyone 👏👏👏👏
OK but Holding definitely deserved to be sent off
They havent made a shot before the penalty.
I bet without it they wouldn’t have done any.
Son was play acting all night.
F* no mate. Height difference make it look worse but Son run drive lower , holding expecting shoulder to shoulder. Son “Will” Smith wins Oscar thank you very much. Line you bro . 2 games FA drama etc
Son threw his classic dirty elbow in the 11th minute, it was worthy of a red card too and it didn’t happen. Tierney chose which side he was gonna fall on for his decisions before the ball was first kicked.
Yep completely agree. Son elbowed him in the head long after the play had stopped, it went unpunished and that set the tone. Clever play by Son, weak refereeing and Holding fell into the trap thereafter.
How about Son elbowing Holding which was a clear red card.
No he didn’t. It was tricky Son played victim and Rob just naively fell for that. If our aim is to be in the same level as Pool, City, RM, we definitely need better reserve player than we have now
Ok we know we need better than holding. we can’t just change overnight what has been declining since 2015.
I think a win at Newcastle is a big ask. I don’t see sp*rs doing anything but thrashing Burnley and Norwich.
Then again. This is sp*rs, surely they can’t bottle it yet again
We certainly can beat Newcastle away especially coming off of this loss which should have the entire squad royally pissed off. We went to Chelsea and West Ham recently and won so no reason we can’t do that at Newcastle. Not a given for sure, but with what is on the line for us now way we come out flat.
Imagine Sp*rs losing to Norwich.
Loyal Gunner Cantwell to the rescue?
Draw either of the remaining games and we lose out on 4th on goal difference because I don’t see Spuds dropping against Burnley or Norwich. Need to regroup and rub their noses in it with two wins.
Draw and we also lose out on points
Why can’t Spurs lose to Burnley who themselves are fighting for relegation which has much bigger ramification than Champions League. Even a draw would work for Burnley. Not to forget Spurs have a quick turnaround for Burnley game.
Just so disappointed with Holding tonight. No need for any of those OTT rash pointless fouls. Pressure the player, but keep ya head. Lost the plot tonight. Cedric pen was a tad harsh, but if you do that you take the risk. Thought Elneny should have been stronger in the tackle with the 3rd, not just dangle ya foot in your own box!
*sigh* Hope they can regoup and grab this chance. Must win game Monday. COYG
Never give the ref the chance to make a decision in games like this. Should’ve resorted to rotational fouling on Son once Holding got booked imo
My issue with the third was the foul on Gabriel (not given) followed by three decisions we did get for exactly the same offence straight after 🤯
Penalty no way you see that every week in every game, Holding not so sure he made the ref make a decision and in there place he was always going against us, what f**King bugs me is the son elbow nothing joke
100% we don’t get that up the other end & Neville spouts off about how “clever” Dire or Sanchez were
Oh 100%
I counted at least 6 times that kulivseski c**t done the exact same foul as holding for his first yellow and also nothing, but the world of football is against us, and that’s when we can shut them up up the Gooners pumped already for Mon
And how great will it be to watch them s**rs c**ts celebrate tonight only to fall short can’t wait
If you listen to Sky or TalkShite then we shouldn’t even travel up to Newcastle on Sunday night because we’ve already lost when all Spurs have to do is turn up against Burnley & they win. They’re acting like Spurs climbed above us, we were in the position where we had a safety blanket incase we fluffed our lines, we did & it’s still in our hands
Spurs will lose or draw against Burnley, because they’re spurs it’s what they do.
Fuck the spuds, fuck the appaling standard of refereeing in this league (bunch of fat mancunian cunts, am I right? I mean come on you’re a professional ref, at the very least keep in shape?), and fuck the media/punditry and their painful anti Arsenal bias (listening to that little wanker was painful). Lets win these next 2 games and put all of them in their place.
No, I’ve definitely not been drinking 🙃🙃🙃
He did well there. Can’t imagine how hard that was to not let emotions get the better of him. Let’s hope the squad show the character we’ve seen them show before and we make lighter work of Monday’s opposition. I think we will.
Very clever interview – he knows when we were. Stupid but he ain’t telling some annoying knob from sky about it!
Make it pyrric boys!
I never expected to hate Son as much as I hate Kane.
Qualities do rub off, fucking piece of cheat!
I love him. He embodies us all! COYG lets win our last two games and put this all behind us!
Tottenham draw against Burnley on Sunday.
Depressing night but 1 I saw coming. Just knew Spurs were gonna be given a pen but my dumb self ignored the fact they would probably see us get a red too. I don’t see any reason to criticise the team at this point its full steam towards Newcastle. We win that and I’m almost certain we get 4th
The best way for him to play it. This team does it’s best work when they feel wronged. It’s “us against the world” for the final two matches and they’ll win them both.
That’s almost churchillian
“Never, in the field of Premiership football, was so much excruciating pain owed by so young and beautiful a talented Arsenal squad, to a few lousy anti-Gooner media pundit cunts. …”
✌️🎩🌂 🇬🇧
*to so many lousy anti Gooner media pundit cunts….
I didn’t see the sky coverage, but did for the brentford game. I have never seen anyone gloating like that over a result. By full time next Sunday we will have rammed it down their throats.
Great response. Doesn’t matter if he’s right or wrong, deflect deflect deflect and keep the squad as motivated as possible. Referee probably got most things right tonight, although Davies should’ve gone and Kulusevski booked about 5 times. Onto the next. COYG.
That ref looks like a fatter, cuntier version of Iniesta.
Useless, talentless version of Iniesta. In fact he’s a bloody idiot.
Refereeing of the worst order, so biased. Gave us nothing all night. These officials are a disgrace. Onwards to Toon. COYG!
With you all the way Mikel. 👍
Rob Holding couldn’t hold his nerve. He let the team down big time.
Especially when he got in the way of Son’s elbow off the ball.
Classic Arteta. Calling out the referee without actually calling him out. Pure classical!
Gabriel, Holding, Tomi should have started as a back three. I thought Arteta was playing to the supporters when he said we were gonna go for it ‘like we always do.’ We just needed a draw. Did he overthink it like Pep or underthink it starting the same lineup as Leeds? I had a stomach ache immediately upon seeing the starting lineup. Cedric should have been nowhere near the pitch.
Did you actually see the game from the beginning and until the senseless red card?
I understand the anger at the referee, but truth be told, Cedric and Holding both left him with a decision to make.
Cedric has no reason shoving Son the way he did. Holding had the ball covered.
Holding was naive. The flight of the ball showed there was no way Son could get to it… and he was already on a yellow.
None of those events should have happened. Those two lads handed the match to Spurs!
It’s a shame that a game with epic potential was once again ruined and it’s outcome was essentially decided by questionable refereeing. Penalty- I get it BUT if Hojbjerg took out Nketiah same way I will bet my life pen would not be given. If Xaka threw an elbow like Son something tells me that’d be a booking. We have 100s of hours of footage of Son going down way too easy and flopping about and Kane initiating contact with opposing player than dropping like he’d been punched yet these decisions still are given to these players. It boggles my… Read more »
I’m just glad that Saka, Martinelli, and everyone made it through the game without being strategically injured by the sh*t. I had fears that was their plan, the c*nts!
Gabriel?
And suddenly we are conceded 2 goals from 2 games in a row, from corner. Should have put 2 defenders standing in each of the far and near posts from every corner, and not Nketiah standing there definitely
Hopefully or you might be history. Those who prefer to think we are making solid progress need a reality check. We are making progress but lets also regard the fact we are out of ALL competitions. Sure this is a young team but we had the chance in Jan (Like Spurs with Kulujevski and Bentancur) to bring in some players to help. Someone was unable to find value in market where Spurs secured two signings on loan for free. Where fourth spot pot was once derided by WengerOut, it is now very much embraced. Sure we went down a man… Read more »
Brilliant psychology from our manager there. Any industry that’s top level.