Roy Keane slams classless Mikel Arteta and Arsenal: ‘Amazing’ update
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal have been given a damning verdict by Roy Keane after their reaction to Myles Lewis-Skelly’s red card against Wolves.
Many were shocked when referee Michael Oliver sent the young left-back off rather than booking him after he tripped Matt Doherty just outside the Gunners’ penalty area in Saturday’s game (25 January).
After the game, Arteta did not hold back with his reaction, admitting he was “absolutely fuming” dismissal, which has since been overturned following an appeal.
Now, Keane believes that the Gunners boss was wrong to react to the sending off in the way he did given what has happened since, and the fact his side won the game 1-0 after Ricardo Calafiori’s late strike.
Speaking on the Overlap about the situation that has developed in the aftermath of the game at Molineux, the former Man United man said: “Can I just make a point about Arsenal, what I still find amazing…
“Everyone would think it was the wrong decision, that’s an opinion or whatever. I still thought it was a reckless challenge, he should’ve got back but anyway, he’ll learn from it the player.
“Arsenal won the game, they won the game. So they regrouped. So Arsenal had a great opportunity for the manager again after the match to come out and go ‘we’re not even discussing it. We have to roll with it, our players showed what they’re about’.
“Focus on getting the result instead of still going on about the referee, leave the referee, you’ve won the game, the referee’s going to get criticised anyway, everyone was criticising him so you show a bit of class as Arsenal.”
Roy Keane point is something to consider for Arsenal
Football Insider Verdict
Those of a Gunners persuasion did have some right to be frustrated by the sending off of Lewis-Skelly, as proven by the fact the red card has been overturned on appeal.
However, as Keane says, Arsenal did still manage to overcome that setback and win the game, in what should have been viewed as a positive result for them.
That though does seem to have been overlooked by the negative fallout that has surrounded the reaction to the dismissal, generating more of a distraction than anyone would have wanted.
It is a situation that might have been avoided had Arteta chosen to focus more on the success in getting that win, while always confident they would avoid a suspension via that appeal process.
Oliver’s decision to show a red card to Lewis-Skelly was inevitably going to be scrutinised, so the Arsenal boss’ reaction may only have added to the emotion around that, even if it was not the intention to do so.
Consequently that may have contributed to the situation that has now developed into one that has gone much further than it should have, something everyone involved should be keen to avoid in the future.
In other news. Arsenal are concerned that a transfer target could end up playing for Man City.
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