Jamie Redknapp has insisted that Mikel Arteta has no right to moan about the decisions against Arsenal in their defeat by Tottenham, with the pundit waving away his complaints and claiming he should have been quicker with his decisions.
The top four race in the Premier League took another dramatic twist in the north London derby on Thursday night, with Spurs clinching an emphatic 3-0 victory to move just one point behind their fierce rivals with two games remaining this season.
But Arteta was left infuriated by several calls from referee Paul Tierney, with Rob Holding sent off for two clumsy challenges and a penalty awarded in the first half.
Mikel Arteta refused to speak about the officiating in Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat by Tottenham
Son Heung-min netted in the second half after Harry Kane scored a double in the feisty derby
In his post-match interview, Arteta refused to go into detail on his gripes, insisting that if he shared his opinions he would be suspended for ‘six months’.
He also urged the man in the middle to face the cameras to explain his controversial decisions, and said that the ‘beautiful game was destroyed’ as a result of his actions.
But Redknapp, speaking on Sky Sports, vehemently disagreed.
Rob Holding was sent off for two bookings, the second awarded after he clattered into Son
But Jamie Redknapp believes Arteta can have no complaints, and says he also made mistakes
‘I don’t understand where he’s coming from in that interview,’ Redknapp said. ‘If you think about the decisions and what Rob Holding did, he should have got booked earlier, he should have got sent off. I don’t see what his complaints are with that one.
‘The penalty, he should be saying to his right back, ‘what are you doing?’ You’ve given the referee a decision to make. It’s a poor decision from his point of view.
‘Sometimes when you play away, things don’t always go your way. But if you look at the big decisions, the referee actually got them right today.
‘If anything, I’m not sure Mikel Arteta had his best night. He’s had a great run of form. He’s done so well, we’ve all applauded how well he’s done.
Arteta did not criticise his stars post-match, but called for the referee to explain his decisions
‘But today, he should have acted quickly. He didn’t.’
Arteta said that he was not disgruntled with his players despite the manner of their chastening loss, instead claiming that he does not ‘know how to lie’.
‘If I say what I think I’m suspended [for] six months,’ he fumed. ‘I don’t know how to lie and I don’t like lying so I prefer not to say what I think, I cannot say.
‘With my players, no [I’m not unhappy]. I want the referee to come in front of the camera and explain his decisions. A beautiful game was destroyed today.
Holding’s red card left his side in the lurch, and Spurs swept them aside in the race for fourth
‘The decision [to send Holding off] is made, I cannot change it. The referee has to make the decision and react in football.’
Harry Kane hit a first-half brace, either side of Holding’s dismissal, while Son Heung-min added a third minutes after the second-half restart to round off the scoring.
Arsenal now turn their attentions to their next clash at Newcastle, a match which may tighten, or take away, their grip on fourth depending on Spurs’ own result.
Redknapp has predicted a difficult test for the Gunners, and believes that they must play with more maturity on Tyneside after showing petulance in mid-week.
Arsenal now turn their attentions to Newcastle, although Spurs can leapfrog them on Sunday
He added: ‘It is all to play for and Newcastle will be a really tough game for Arsenal, but at least they know what they’ve got to do. They’ve somehow have got to pick themselves up. Tonight, there was a little bit of immaturity about their game.
‘Petulant. I didn’t like the way they played. I think the occasion got to them.
‘Spurs, on the other hand, were like wily old timers. They knew what they had to do. They were street smart. They managed the game well. That reflected on the manager too, Antonio Conte got everything right tonight.’
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