Arsenal secured a dominant 2-0 victory over Brighton to return to the top of the Premier League, but Mikel Arteta found himself annoyed at the refereeing on display yet again.
Arteta has been at war with the FA and PGMOL this season, having initially been charged for improper conduct following an explosive rant after a controversial defeat to Newcastle, before he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
There has been intense scrutiny over the refereeing decisions involved in Arsenal games this season, and the Emirates crowd expressed their frustration at some of the calls over yellow cards and fouls in the victory over Brighton.
This anger particularly peaked after Kaoru Mitoma was booked for bringing down Bukayo Saka, after which Arteta expressed his frustration, and the manager was shown a yellow card for his reaction.
Mikel Arteta responds to yellow card vs Brighton
Speaking after the game, Arteta was asked about his yellow card, which given as a result of “excessive waving” as described by journalist Amy Lawrence. The Spaniard then issued a hilarious response to the caution.
“I was waving to Martinelli!” Arteta replied.
This was Arteta’s fourth yellow card of the season, and the Brighton game saw him return to the dugout after missing last week’s defeat to Aston Villa as a result of a one-match touchline ban.
Mikel Arteta’s animated touchline behaviour
Arteta is almost the exact opposite of Arsene Wenger when it comes to his behaviour on the touchline. Whilst Wenger, aside from a few notable occasions, was a figure of calmness in the technical area, Arteta feeds off the energy of his team and the crowd, and has been criticised for his exuberant behaviour by pundits on several occasions.
His booking against Brighton was a bizarre moment, as his reaction to the yellow card was a lot more tame than he has been at times this season.
Arteta’s touchline ban against Villa came as a result of a yellow card issued during a dramatic victory over Luton Town, as he was cautioned for excessive celebrations after Declan Rice scored a last-minute winner.
Arsenal fans have pointed out that Roberto De Zerbi in the Brighton dugout, who praised Arsenal after the game, was not cautioned for his own behaviour on the sidelines, and some even believe that Arteta is receiving unfair treatment compared to other Premier League bosses.
Arsenal are set to face Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, in a fixture which has seen Arteta face off with the German whilst also riling the crowd up, and it will be interesting to see if there is additional focus on the Spaniard during the game.
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