Former Manchester United star Dimitar Berbatov couldn’t resist a cheeky dig at Arsenal as he called them “the new Stoke City” for being so reliant on set pieces for goals.
The Gunners have more goals from corners than any other team in the Premier League since the start of last season, with Nicolas Jover doing a great job alongside Mikel Arteta to make those situations a really useful weapon for this team.
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We normally see Gabriel Magalhaes benefiting in particular from Arsenal’s corners, with the Brazilian centre-back already scoring in big games against Manchester City, Tottenham, Sporting Lisbon and West Ham this season, though he was out injured yesterday.
In his absence, Arsenal were instead able to rely on Jurrien Timber and William Saliba to score the goals as they earned a 2-0 win over Man United at the Emirates Stadium.
Dimitar Berbatov compares Arsenal to Stoke City
See below as Berbatov joked about Arsenal being the new Stoke, whilst also admitting that new Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim might be surprised at the amount players can get away with in those situations in the Premier League…
"Arsenal are the new Stoke City!" ?
Dimitar Berbatov on the Gunners' threat from set-pieces and Man Utd's inability to adapt to the threat…#PLonPrime #ARSMUN pic.twitter.com/lRLHqOzs9D
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Arsenal fans probably won’t take too kindly to be referred to as the new Stoke City, as they so often suffered against Tony Pulis’ side’s long throws in the past.
Arsenal used to be seen as a bit of a soft touch at set plays during the latter part of Arsene Wenger’s reign, but Arteta has done well to change perceptions of this team and make them harder to beat and generally more competitive.
You can read more about Arsenal’s set-piece prowess and Jover’s role in it from our Charles Watts column earlier this week.
Last night’s win saw Arsenal close the gap on league leaders Liverpool, who drew 3-3 away to Newcastle United, though they remain seven points ahead at the top of the table.