The former Newcastle United icon, Alan Shearer, expressed his views on the controversy surrounding his former club’s Premier League victory against Arsenal. Shearer criticized Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for his conduct after his team’s contentious defeat at St James Park.
The match saw a highly debated goal from Newcastle’s forward, Anthony Gordon, leading Eddie Howe’s team to a significant win over the title contenders in stormy conditions on Tyneside. However, Gordon’s goal was just one of several contentious decisions made by the on-field referee Stuart Attwell and VAR official Andy Madley. During the first half, both teams had players who could have been sent off, as Gunners midfielder Kai Havertz received a yellow card for a dangerous challenge on Sean Longstaff, and Magpies star Bruno Guimaraes escaped punishment for an incident involving Jorginho.
The decisive goal also sparked three different discussions, including debates over whether Joe Willock had kept the ball in play before crossing into the Gunners’ area, if Joelinton had fouled Gabriel, and whether Gordon was offside before scoring in the Gallowgate net.
Arteta expressed his frustration with the performance of the match officials and criticized them in his post-match press conference. In an emotional outburst, the Arsenal manager admitted to being embarrassed by the decisions and received support from his club, who released a statement backing him on Sunday.
Shearer acknowledged that United’s Guimaraes had been fortunate not to receive a red card but was also disappointed by Arteta and Arsenal’s response to the defeat. Shearer suggested that Arteta might be acting hypocritically, considering the Arsenal boss had previously defended match officials after a questionable decision in a match against Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the season. During an interview with Gary Lineker on The Rest is Football Podcast, the former England captain stated, “I listened to Mikel Arteta after the game; he was obviously very angry. I understand that because you’re in the heat of the moment after the game, it’s very emotional, and I’ve been in that position myself. You’re very angry.”
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