10 April 2023 , 07:34
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Ian Wright insisted those criticising Granit Xhaka for his clash with Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold are simply looking for someone to blame after Arsenal let a 2-0 lead slip in their Anfield thriller on Sunday.
The Gunners midfielder butted heads with the Reds right-back after Alexander-Arnold took objection to the way Xhaka seemed to deliberately make contact with him after the ball had gone. At the time of the heated exchange, Arsenal were in complete command courtesy of goals from Brazilian duo Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.
Soon after Xhaka's coming together with Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool's fightback begun. Mohamed Salah bundled home their first shortly before the interval to drastically change the dynamic of both Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp's team talks at half-time.
Both Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville insisted Xhaka letting his temper get the better of him was the flashpoint that riled the Anfield crowd and inspired Salah to start the comeback.
"I think it did [get Liverpool going]. It sounds silly, I’m glad Xhaka did it but I’m angry with Xhaka," Carragher told Sky Sports post-match.
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"I’m not an Arsenal fan but if I was an Arsenal fan, what are you doing, doing that? It’s absolutely daft.
"The game’s in your hands, you get involved - even leading the challenge with the arm, why do it? And now going back head-to-head with Trent riles the crowd up and it’s absolutely idiotic from Xhaka to do that."
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Granit Xhaka sparked a melee after clashing with Trent Alexander-ArnoldHowever, Wright disputed Carragher's claim and responded by explaining that Xhaka is not to blame for the Anfield atmosphere.
He told BBC Match of the Day: "It doesn’t take much to get that crowd going. Even if Granit Xhaka went in there and slapped someone it’s not going to get them going any more than they’re going to get going.
"The fact is that he’s been brilliant for us this season. I think the narrative is that people are trying to point at someone. That’s how Granit Xhaka plays. He’d probably play like that if he’s playing in his own garden."
Arteta echoed a similar sentiment to Wright when asked if Xhaka's angry outburst turned the tide in the game.
"I don’t know if that’s the case," the Spaniard added. "We had a big chance after that. If we score 3-0, maybe the crowd doesn’t get too excited.
"But after that, they scored a goal and that changes the momentum and the hope. But still we have to come out in the second half and we have to play more and that’s the lesson.
"The lesson is: stick to what we did in the first half, play with our personalities, our way of playing."
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