London24NEWS

LISTEN: Why Arsenal can be fired up after ‘darkish arts’ criticism

  • Arsenal were accused of time-wasting and playing dirty against Manchester City
  • Ian Ladyman and Chris Sutton clash over what is acceptable on a football pitch
  • LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off!, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday 

The boys are back and on the latest episode of It’s All Kicking Off! Ian Ladyman and Chris Sutton get stuck into one of the hottest topics of the week: how right were Arsenal to employ the ‘dark arts’ against Manchester City?

Arsenal were accused of extensive time-wasting from dead ball situations and blocking Ederson from corner-kicks, while controversy has sprung up over David Raya going down. 

It has drawn a range of opinions from pundits – Ian Wright approved while Roy Keane slammed Arsenal for playing like a ‘small club with a small mentality’.

Ladyman is concerned that Arsenal ‘obstruct’ goalkeepers and that it should be a foul. Sutton laughs in his counterpart’s face and tells him why a five-year-old might be more intelligent than him. 

Listen to It’s All Kicking Off! here: 

In the end Arsenal managed to survive almost an entire half with 10 men without conceding. Only John Stones’ 98th-minute equaliser denied them.

Former Premier League winner Sutton believes the criticism of their strategy will only fire up Arsenal’s star. Listen why on It’s All Kicking Off!