Mikel Arteta jokingly dodged questions regarding his latest booking, with the Arsenal boss claiming to have been “waving to Gabriel Martinelli”.
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Gunners boss has already served a banCollected another yellow card against SeagullsSaw his side move to the top of the tableWHAT HAPPENED?
The Gunners boss recently served a touchline ban after collecting three Premier League cautions – forcing him to watch a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa from the stands. He also required assistance from a criminal defence lawyer in order to clear his name in a drawn-out case with the FA regarding a referee rant.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT ARTETA SAID
Arteta does not appear to be learning his lesson, with another caution picked up against Brighton. The Spaniard took issue with a challenge from Kaoru Mitoma on Bukayo Saka, as he waved his arms and jumped around in the technical area, leading to Tim Robinson flashing a yellow card in his direction. Arteta has tried to shrug that incident off, telling : “I was waving to Martinelli!”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Arsenal displayed more patience on the pitch than their manager did off it, as they battled to a 2-0 win, with Arteta adding on those qualities – which came after illness issues in the Emirates Stadium camp added to the injury problems already being endured: “We had to be patient but at the same time, we had to be really determined against this team. Maybe [you can] have certain doubts – they start to open you up, they start to frustrate you and dominate with the ball. We didn’t allow that to happen today. We showed a lot of maturity and a lot of intelligence. This game against them required [us] to be really intelligent in certain areas. We’ve done that in a really good way. Regarding [illness] we have some issues in the camp. With Jorginho as well, we have another issue, so we have five or six now. We need players.”
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?
Arsenal have a week to recover before their next Premier League outing, with Arteta’s side due at Anfield on December 23 for a meeting with Liverpool that will be taken in with just one point separating the two teams at the top of the table – with the Gunners now boasting the narrowest of leads.