‘An embarrassment’: Richard Keys tears into Arsenal man on Twitter after Newcastle draw; says he’s an ’embarrassment’
Richard Keys has taken to Twitter to criticise Mikel Arteta after his antics on the touchline during Arsenal’s draw with Newcastle United on Tuesday, claiming that the Spaniard is an embarrassment.
The Gunners were denied the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 10 points. The Magpies defended extremely well to hold out for a point against Arsenal at the Emirates.
Newcastle did what they needed to do to get themselves across the line. They looked to soak up pressure from the home side, particularly during the second-half. And with that, Arsenal were not able to create too many clear cut chances.
Keys labels Arteta an embarrassment after Arsenal draw
When they did get into the box, Newcastle were often able to pack the area with bodies and get a block or snuff the chance out. And one of those moments came in stoppage-time when Granit Xhaka got towards the line and looked to cross the ball in.
The ball was blocked by Jacob Murphy, with the Newcastle winger sliding in. Arsenal were immediately enraged with Murphy ultimately making the block with his arm.
The Arsenal players surrounded the referee and demanded a penalty. Meanwhile, Arteta was shown to be going apoplectic on the touchline. His actions led to something of a bust-up with Eddie Howe.
Unsurprisingly, the VAR saw nothing in the incident. Murphy’s arm had made contact with the ball. However, it was close to the body, in a very natural position. And the Newcastle man was in very close proximity to Xhaka.
Arteta could not stop himself losing his cool. And with that, Keys has suggested that action needs to be taken against the Arsenal boss…
Arteta is far from being the only manager who struggles to keep a lid on his emotions. And clearly, if Arsenal are going to win the title, it is going to come down to the finest margins.
It would be no surprise if he still felt that it was a penalty once he has seen the incident back. But, on a night where the officials were not particularly impressive, that was one call which they got spot on.
