“There were two penalties. It’s very simple. I’m talking about what I’ve seen. It was two scandalous penalties, but I’m so proud of the work we have done.” Mikel Arteta said following Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle United.
I would have to agree the overall officiating was questionable at times. Overall, nine yellow cards were given, but several more should have been given. Yes, the game was chippy and physical. Emotions were high, but head referee Andy Madley allowed far too much gamesmanship to take place, too. First, he allowed Newcastle United players to continually kick the ball away prior to Arsenal free kicks, while numerous other times the Magpies were just dragging their feet and killing time without receiving any discipline from the referee. Then, of course, there were the two penalties Madley missed that would have provided Arsenal a chance to win the match from the penalty spot.
Arteta, “The referee has the whistle so he has control.”
Fortunately, the Arsenal boss didn’t speak with the officials following the match, which was probably a very good idea.
Monday was not the Gunners best technical performance of the season, however, they fought hard from kick-off to the final whistle. They couldn’t find the back of the net in that match, but neither could the Magpies thanks to a strong defensive back line, and terrific goalkeeping. I’m guessing this type of match would probably have resulted in a defeat for Arsenal over past few years. Again, this shows just how far they have come as a team.
Arteta, “We wanted to win it and we still have that in the gut that we did more than enough and we merit a different result. But we didn’t get it. When you can’t win, draw.”
On thing out of the ordinary also took place. Arteta boss only used one substitute during the match because he felt his XI were on top of Newcastle United and he didn’t want to disrupt what they had going on the pitch.
So, Arsenal remains on top of the Premier League table with an eight point lead over Manchester City, fourteen points over Tottenham Coldspur and nineteen points over Chelsea.
Next up, the FA Cup third round match at League One’s Oxford United. I’m sure we’ll see more of Arsenal’s back-ups in Monday’s starting XI.
Their next Premier League game is at Tottenham on January 15th.
Cheers.
Gunner1953
[Arteta’s quotes courtesy of Arsenal.com]
Massimo Marianella is reporting Arsenal has made contact with Manchester United over Marcus Rashford.
The Guardian has reported former Arsenal star Tomas Rosicky is a leading contender for the Gunners sporting director position.
Andrew Madley will be the head referee for the FA Cup match between Arsenal and Manchester United. There is no VAR in the third round of this competition. 
