Gary Neville slams Arsenal for 'undermining' referees as Newcastle row escalates
Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has suggested Arsenal weren't the only victims of questionable refereeing decisions after the Gunners lost to Newcastle on Saturday - while suggesting the London side should have voiced their frustrations privately not publicly.
Mikel Arteta's men saw their unbeaten Premier League record go up in smoke at St James' Park, with Anthony Gordon scoring the only goal of the game. They took issue with incidents in the build-up to the winner, though, while there were also complaints over a failure to punish at least one challenge from Magpies midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.
Arteta was vocal in his criticism of the officiating and Arsenal put out a strongly-worded statement on Sunday backing their manager. However, Neville pointed towards an incident in the first half involving Arsenal star Kai Havertz, who some felt was lucky to stay on the pitch.
Quoting a post making reference to Arsenal's issue with "unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors", Neville said "I agree Havertz probably should have gone" Havertz was booked after jumping into a challenge, with Newcastle players surrounding referee Stuart Attwell and some going into the book themselves.
It was one of a number of contentious moments in the game, with Guimaraes later escaping punishment for a raised arm. The bigger Arsenal complaint, however, appeared to surround what proved to be the winning goal.
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Three VAR checks took place immediately after Gordon's goal - one for the ball possibly going out of play, one for a possible foul from Joelinton and one for offside against Gordon before he found the net. No offence was found to have taken place, though, and the goal stood.
Do you agree with Gary Neville? Have your say in the comments section
Newcastle players didn't take kindly to Kai Havertz's challenge (AFP via Getty Images)Arsenal issued an extraordinary statement on Sunday, demanding the standard of refereeing in the Premier League is 'urgently addressed' after the defeat.
Neville said he understood the sentiment felt by Arsenal but suggested a public statement was not the way to address the situation. "I played for a club where a manager went mad after games if we felt a decision had gone against us," he wrote.
"You feel like it’s us against the world . I get it. Everyone hates us, the refs are out to stitch us up and theirs bias v us. However I can never remember the club writing letters undermining the system and the whole refereeing community.
" When I look back now I don’t think as players we always covered ourselves in glory with refs and also at a big club we all feel entitled and you have to leave and retire to be able to see that. Arsenal’s letter and even the Liverpool statement a few weeks ago (they had a genuine bad one v them) are wrong. Do it privately .
"If I was [PGMOL boss] Howard Webb I would stop apologising to them and get on with it. Managers and players make far more mistakes than refs!"
Mikel Arteta made his frustrations clear (MI News/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock)Arteta had earlier said it was "an absolute disgrace" that the winning goal was allowed to stand. and te statement read: "Arsenal Football Club wholeheartedly supports Mikel Arteta ’s post-match comments after yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors on Saturday evening.
"We’d also like to acknowledge the huge effort and performance from our players and travelling supporters at St James’ Park," the club statement continued. "The Premier League is the best league in the world with the best players, coaches and supporters, all of whom deserve better.
"PGMOL urgently needs to address the standard of officiating and focus on action which moves us all on from retrospective analysis, attempted explanations and apologies. We support the ongoing efforts of Chief Refereeing Officer, Howard Webb and would welcome working together to achieve the world-class officiating standards our league demands."
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