Yeah because a BBC comments section is indicative of what everyone else thinks. I've seen some of the most highly-rated comments on that website be stupid, non-critical and unsubstantiated, but if you want to use the most upvoted comments to prove your point instead of critically thinking yourself, well, that's up to you. The fact of the matter is what you're saying is entirely subjective and you can launch those criticisms at literally any team. Yet you act like it's exclusively Arsenal that do it and supposedly do it more than anyone else (which there is no way of proving). You don't need to like Arteta or Arsenal by any means, but none of what you're saying has any basis in reality.
Ern is obsessed with this idea that Arsenal are cheats. It's completely clouded his views and pretty much any time we play he'll be banging on about it on the PL board. Man has become totally deluded with this obsession.
I don't want to talk about Chris Kavanagh because I've said before what a ****ing awful referee he is. He shouldn't be managing any of our games and I'm glad so many people in the media have been lambasting him and the PGMOL for being **** at their jobs. On the game yesterday - I've watched the extended highlights. We were well on top of them for the first 25 minutes and didn't convert any of our dominance into goals. Then they started to grow into the game and the goal, you can argue, came when they were starting to gain some control. Then, just as it looked as if we were controlling the game again, Rice gets sent off. The red card, I'd rather not talk about because the whole situation was stupid and lacked common sense. I would like for us to appeal it, but I don't think you can if it's 2 yellows. The lack of consistency in the decision making was absolutely terrible. But nothing new there. The goal we conceded I put primarily on Gabriel and Partey. Gabriel should have been able to push Minteh wider or make a challenge to win the ball (which he could have), but he was weak, didn't force him wide and the shot gets away. When the rebound falls to Pedro, he's free in the box by himself. Partey was jogging back and didn't track Pedro's run, which is unacceptable from a DM. It actually seems like he had a good game overall, but this incident was costly. We had to defend well afterwards, and I thought Calafiori did well when he came on, but Havertz and Saka both had chances they should have done better with. This is why, whilst I don't mind Sterling coming to us on loan, I'm not sure how he helps us be more efficient in the penalty box - as he's not the most clinical forward himself. If Haaland had those chances Havertz and Saka had, I'm sure he puts them away, even with 10 men. Overall, it is 2 points dropped. It's not a good result. But we could have very easily lost that game, so a point isn't disastrous. I am worried about having no Merino and no Rice for the NLD after the break, though. Our midfield is going to be considerably weaker.
Rice is going to be a big miss for the NLD, and it's a ****house decision from the ref that's cost us his presence for that game.
IF you want the rules applied! 1) The free kick was not taken from the correct position (Velt clearly picks the ball up from the point of where the free kick was given and rolled it forward into the path of Rice, who at that time was walking back in retreat.). 2) The ball was clearly moving when Velt went to make contact with the ball (As above, the ball hit Rices' legs and first instinct was to nudge it back, rightfully toward where the free kick should have been taken. Lets not even discuss the serious fould play that was caused by Velt lashing out at Rice! *Rice incident only took place because of points 1 & 2 above. Plenty of times the opposing player kicks a ball backwards if it seems the taker of the free kick is trying to gain advantage. This has zero to do with sour grapes as an Arsenal supporter and it's common sense and logic of the laws of EPL. KC should at least have the balls to come out and say he got it wrong!
I'll just leave this here for Big Ern. Remarkably similar incident. https://x.com/SkySportsNews/status/1439909920011395073
