Steve McManaman had a good laugh at Mikel Arteta’s actions in the 80th minute, as Arsenal looked to see out their win against West Ham United last night.
‘Ridiculous’ actions
McManaman was commentating live for BT Sport, and he picked up on some time wasting tactics from the Arsenal manager.
As the game progressed, Gabriel Martinelli went down with cramp right in front of Arteta.
But rather than keep him off the pitch, Arteta instructed his Brazilian goalscorer to ensure that he crawled back on the field of play and went down there.
That meant that Arsenal could kill some time in the game while he got treatment.
The Gunners were only 1-0 up at the time, and although they weren’t overly troubled at the back, clearly Arteta was using every trick in the book to try and get his side over the line.
“Martinelli has a bit of cramp on this side of the pitch with cramp,” McManaman revealed.
“It’s actually quite funny, he was off the pitch with cramp, but Mikel Arteta has told him to get up and get on the pitch and fall down.
“It just shows you doesn’t it? Just bowl him off and carry on!
“I mean it’s ridiculous, it’s like school football!”
Comfortable ending
Thankfully for Arsenal any nerves they may have had in the late stages were put to bed early.
Emile Smith Rowe netted a second for Arsenal not long after Martinelli had been withdrawn, to ensure that the finish to the game wasn’t particularly concerning.
Arsenal actually were very impressive throughout, and dealt with a dangerous West Ham side with ease.
Their impressive victory saw them leapfrog the Hammers and pushed them back into the top four.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
