Former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys, who now works for BeIN Sports, has criticised Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal team for their jubilant celebrations following Saturday’s important win against London rivals Fulham.
Saturday evening’s Premier League match at the Emirates saw Arsenal desperate to extend their unbeaten run and return to the top of the table after Manchester City had won earlier in the day.
Despite the magnitude of the task at hand, the Gunners weren’t at their best. Struggling to find enough space in their opponent’s final third, the first half saw star striker Gabriel Jesus fail to register a single shot on target.
Understandably frustrated by his team’s efforts, Arteta was spotted on the touchline bellowing instructions and that is something Keys has taken issue with.
However, even though Fulham took a shock lead through Aleksander Mitrovic, the Gunners pulled off an impressive comeback.
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Captain Martin Odegaard equalised through a deflected shot before defender Gabriel went from zero to hero and poked home the game’s winner via a goal line scramble.
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After referee Jarred Gillett blew the whistle for full-time, the Arsenal squad, as well as Arteta and the fans in attendance, were seen celebrating passionately.
Speaking about the post-match scenes, Keys, who was discussing the game with co-host Andy Gray, said: “I can’t hide the fact I find him extremely irritating, Arteta.
“Waving his arms around like a windmill for 90 minutes as if anybody can hear him, let alone see him. He’s never in his technical area.
“They’ve over-celebrated this. It’s a 2-1 win over newly-promoted Fulham.”