Mikel Arteta blasts ‘scandalous’ Newcastle United decisions as Alan Shearer takes aim at Arsenal boss

Arsenal missed the opportunity to go ten points clear at the top of the Premier League on Tuesday as they played out a 0-0 stalemate against Newcastle United. The draw was only their third time dropping points this season and has allowed Manchester City to narrow the gap if they are to beat Chelsea tomorrow.

The clash with the Magpies was always going to be one of their toughest of the season, with the visitors sat third in the table - only a point below Pep Guardiola’s side. Despite having 17 shots and 67 per cent possession, the Gunners were unable to break down what is stastically the best defence in the league and were forced to leave with a point.

Ahead of Arsenal’s next match on Monday as they take on Oxford United in the FA Cup, here are the latest key headlines from the Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta blasts penalty decisions

Despite the failure to net from either side at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, the Premier League clash certainly wasn’t short of action and Gunners boss Mikel Arteta had plenty to complain about. Following the match, the Spaniard criticised the officials for their ‘scandalous’ decisions after Dan Burn escaped punishment for a second-half shirt pull on Gabriel, before a penalty shout for a possible handball in the box by Jacob Murphy in added time was dismissed.

Arteta said: “We lacked that spark in the final third to find that opening, to find that right moment and extra pass and a little bit of finishing quality but we had a lot of situations in and around the box to do better. And then there were two scandalous penalties. Both of them. It is a penalty or not a penalty and they were both penalties.

“We wanted to win it and we still have that in the guts that we did more than enough and it merits a different result but we didn’t get it. And when you can’t win, (make sure you) draw. I think the team was on top of it, we were really chasing it, we really wanted it, you could see that the team was putting everything to take the three points. And we lacked that in the final third and we lacked two big decisions.”

Alan Shearer slams Arsenal boss

Alan Shearer has criticised Arteta for his touchline antics during Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle United. The former striker has labelled the Gunners boss ‘disrespectful’.

The Spaniard is known for his theatrics in the technical area and Tuesday’s clash wasn’t any different as he let out his frustration at the team and the referee’s decision-making. Speaking on Premier League Productions, Shearer said: “I think Mikel Arteta needs to have a word with himself or his assistant needs to have a word with him and calm him down.

“I think he is disrespectful to the opposition. He’s making it very difficult for referees who have a hard enough job as it is. I get he wants to be animated on the touchline. If his players were behaving like him, then he wouldn’t like it. He needs to calm down. At the minute, he’s going crazy on the touchline, it can’t be helpful, can it?”

Chelsea look to ‘hijack’ Mudryk deal

Arsenal have long been linked with a move for Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhaylo Mudryk and the forward has been teasing fans over the potential move in recent weeks, with some eagle-eyed supporters suggesting he is currently staying in a London hotel based on an Instagram video he posted of him working out. However, it appears the Gunners now face competition for his signature.

According to various reports, Chelsea are now looking to attempt Arsenal’s move for the Ukrainian and have already entered talks with the club. While the Gunners have already agreed personal terms over a five-year deal with Mudryk, their recent £62 million bid is still below Shakhtar’s asking price and the Blues will be hoping to pip them to the post this month.

While it seems like Mudryk is eager to join Arsenal and is likely to prefer that to a move to Stamford Bridge, they will need to fork out more money if they are to be successful in their pursuit of the 21-year-old. However, Chelsea’s reported £112m offer for Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez may also prevent them from splashing the cash quite as extravagantly on Mudryk.