Pundit Richard Keys has taken aim at Arsenal over their celebrations following Saturday’s comeback win over Fulham at the Emirates.
THE LOWDOWN: SUPERB COMEBACK
Arsenal, led by skipper Martin Odegaard, had to dig deep and show resilience to beat Fulham at the Emirates on Saturday.
Marcos Silva’s men went in front early in the second half through Aleksandar Mitrovic’s goal but goals from the Norwegian and Gabriel Magalhaes ensured the Gunners extended their unbeaten start to the season to four games.
This is the first time that the Gunners will win their opening four games in a new Premier League season since the 2004/2005 season.
THE LATEST: PUNDIT’S REACTION
Richard Keys has decided to take aim at Arsenal again over their celebrations following Saturday’s 2-1 win against Fulham on Saturday, as the debate continues to rage online.
Keys sparked an online backlash on Saturday evening after claiming on beIN SPORTS that
Arsenal had “over-celebrated” the win. Their behaviour immediately sparked a debate on Twitter, with Keys and his punditry partner Andy Gray tearing into Arsenal for what they saw as premature jubilation.
“Arsenal over-celebrated their win over Fulham. It was disrespectful to the opposition. And for me – it is a measure of how far they’ve fallen,” he wrote in
his blog.
“I’m not blaming the fans. I get it. Enjoy your wins. Enjoy your day out – you’ve spent enough on it – but Arteta and his coaching staff went over the top. They were running round like they’d just won the CL. They’d beaten newly-promoted Fulham 2-1. That’s all. Nothing more. Save the drama for a win over Spurs, Liverpool, or a valiant performance against City the likes of which Newcastle gave the previous week.”
“I say again – the win over Fulham was over-celebrated – and it was embarrassing. Proper Arsenal managers like George Graham or Arsene Wenger would’ve made a dignified exit and been off down the tunnel knowing full well that they’d got away with one.”
THE VERDICT: UNNECESSARY CRITICISM
Football and emotions cannot be separated and how people react to such moments can’t be controlled. Arsenal faced an opposition who were yet to lose since their return to the Premier League and had everything in their kitty to trouble the Gunners. It was a really good win and needed that kind of celebration, especially given the circumstances behind the win.
However, the team has to remain focused on the task at hand because it is still early days in the new campaign with plenty of matches to come, as Odegaard has rightly said.
