Jamie O’Hara has told Sky Sports that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta needs to “calm down” after the Gunners boss said his side were not given two “scandalous” penalties against Newcastle United on Tuesday night, at The Emirates.
Newcastle and Arsenal – third and first – played out an enthralling 0-0 draw. A hotly-contested affair played right on the edge that saw nine players pick up yellow cards. That included Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles, on the bench.
Speaking after the match, £160k-a-week boss Arteta believes Arsenal should have been awarded two penalties. The second being for a handball on Jacob Murphy, which sparked a spat on the touchline between Eddie Howe and Arteta.
Arteta said the decision not to hand his side a penalty on either occasion was “scandalous”. Reacting to his comments on Sky Sports – as per Football Daily – O’Hara told Arteta to calm down, saying the right decisions were made.
“No, come on. He needs to calm down a little bit. I know what it’s like as a manager. You’re there for your team and you’re fighting for it. You want to be there in those special moments. Eddie Howe was right to tell him to calm down.
“Stay in your technical area and stop acting like a fan. He didn’t, but we’ve all been there. You see Conte do it, you see Klopp do it. It’s what we love about the Premier League. The passion. They’re flying, playing some really good football.”
O’Hara: Arsenal manager Arteta needs to calm down, acting like a fan
Arteta is wrong. Arsenal’s penalty shouts were worth calling for, but they were simply not penalties. On the night, Arsenal were the better side but they probably did not do enough to win the game – Joelinton should have scored.
At the end of the day, it is a good point for both sides in the race for the title. Newcastle will not admit they are in a title race just yet – but Howe will be keen to see his team maintain their top-four spot. Arteta was wrong in his verdict.
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