Mikel Arteta requested reporters to ask him about his opinion of the officials in charge of Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday, and said that they were “so good.”
“Please ask me about VAR because today it was good… I hope that I’m on TV saying the referees are so good and I’m completely with them and being very constructive,” Arteta said.
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Arsenal midfielder Fabio Vieira was sent off in the 83rd minute against Burnley and Arteta said he agreed with the officials’ decision.
“And with the red card, yes. Thank you for asking me. The VAR was right. The referee was right,” Arteta said in his post-match news conference. “Really good decision. Really positive from Mikel to speak about that… Good decision.”
The Arsenal boss had been criticized for branding the level of officiating in the Premier League as an “absolute disgrace” after Anthony Gordon’s winning goal for Newcastle United against his side last weekend was allowed to stand after three separate VAR checks.
Arsenal also released a statement last weekend that said the club “wholeheartedly” support Arteta’s criticism of the officials in the aftermath of the Newcastle match. The north London club also implored the referees body (PGMOL) to look into the standards of refereeing.
The 41-year-old could still face a charge from the Football Association (FA) for his remarks after the Newcastle game but he made a point of praising the officials on Saturday.
The win over Burnley moved Arsenal up to 2nd in the table, leapfrogging rivals Tottenham who lost against Wolves, and Arteta was keen to stress how pleased he was with his team’s display.
“Really happy with the result but especially the performance after playing in 72 hours with the last three games,” Arteta said.
“How we played against Newcastle, how we played against Sevilla, how we played today… How dominant we were against teams. That is very difficult to dominate the amount of situations that we generated. I think we fully decided to win the game.”
Arteta praised forward Leandro Trossard’s bravery after he hurt himself while scoring the game’s opener. The Belgium international’s goal was the 1000th that Arsenal have scored at Emirates Stadium since its opening in 2006.
“[You must sometimes] Pull your body over the line to score, it’s necessary and he’s done it and it is the 1000th goal at the Emirates. It’s a beautiful number,” Arteta said.
“So very happy with him. I think every time you ask him to play whether it is wide or as a nine, it flows and he is a real threat so I’m really happy with him.”
