Mikel Arteta has claimed that Arsenal's Premier League title race would look different if Manchester City had been reduced to 10 men in last Sunday's pivotal match at the Etihad Stadium. The Arsenal manager insisted that City defender Abdukodir Khusanov should have been sent off for a last-man foul on Kai Havertz in the 53rd minute, with the score at 1-1. City went on to win 2-1, but Arteta said nothing after the game about an incident that did not generate much controversy, as the consensus was that Khusanov had defended his position fairly.
However, Arteta spoke out after Arsenal defeated Newcastle 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, moving three points ahead of City at the top of the table, albeit having played an extra match. It was another occasion where Arteta felt the opposition should have had a red card, this time for Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope. With Arsenal 1-0 up thanks to Eberechi Eze's early goal, Pope left his area to clear in the 74th minute but missed the ball and fouled Arsenal substitute Viktor Gyokeres with his follow-through. Newcastle had Malick Thiaw covering between both players and the goal. Pope was booked, and the VAR check did not recommend a review for a red card.
“It’s a clear red card,” Arteta said. “I’ve watched it 10 times. If you have ever played football, it is a red card. It’s the second time in two games because I guess Manchester City, when Kai Havertz goes through, Khusanov fouls him, 1-1, the title is there … it is a red card, guys. So these are the margins as well, and hopefully that’s going to change.”
Arteta added: “I’m here to give my opinion, and somebody that has been in the game for a long time … you talk to any of the players, because the trajectory of where the ball is, there’s no keeper there. If that were to happen the other way around, it’s a red card. I’m saying the reality of the last two games, in crucial moments when everything is at stake, we need everything to go our way, and it hasn’t. I’m not putting any excuses, I’m the first one to understand. I didn’t talk about it when we lost the game [at City]. I’m doing it [now] when we won. It’s a red card today. It’s a red card in Manchester, and the world is different. That’s it.”
Eze’s winner against Newcastle came after Arsenal won their third early corner of the game and, unusually, worked it short for the third time. The home crowd groaned when they did so on the second one, but to Arteta’s delight, the players’ belief in the move paid off. “When the teams are so physical that they can defend naturally, you have to find other ways,” Arteta said. “The thing that I like best is the courage of the players because we play short, and you can see the reaction in the crowd. On the third one … courage, big courage. In this moment, when the pressure is on, when the reaction is like this to [the] play, that’s exactly what I want for the team because the players have to make the decisions.”
It was another nervy occasion, but as Arsenal chase their first title since 2004, Arteta said it was simply par for the course. “I don’t expect, after 22 years of not winning it, that it’s going to be a path of roses and beautiful music around it,” he said. “It’s going to be like this, and we are ready for it.”
Eze and Havertz were forced off with muscle niggles, but Arteta suggested they were not too serious. Arsenal play the first leg of their Champions League semi-final at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night. “We don’t think it’s too much,” Arteta said. “We have to wait and see if they’re going to be available for Wednesday.”
