Arsenal won their game against Bournemouth in the most dramatic fashion imaginable and the celebrations were wild so, of course, reporters are upset.
Arsenal are going for the league title. Every point matters. Every goal. Every decision.
So, god forbid you might celebrate if you snatch a win from the jaws of a draw, especially in a game when VAR had refused to award any of the clear penalties it was asked to adjudicate on.
After the game, when the managers met with the press, Gary O’Neil was asked what he thought about Arsenal’s celebrations. There was no reason to ask that question other than in the hope of generating a headline about ‘respect’ or similar.
We all know the score.
Gary O’Neil was having none of it.
“I’ve no comment to make on what Arsenal did,” O’Neil said. “I shook hands with Mikel, it was a game he needed to win and I needed something from.
“We went to battle and he came out on top. They score a goal they can celebrate how they want.”
Asked about the game, Mikel Arteta said, “Everybody is overwhelmed a bit.
“It was madness from the first minute of the game where we defended so poorly and then you have to climb a mountain.
“After that don’t lose the shape and try to score the first one. We did that and once we did that the atmosphere and the place changed. We generated a lot of chances.
“I thought the subs made a huge impact. So happy for Reiss after he made a huge impact.”
When Arteta was asked about his reaction to the goal, he said, “You lose sight of where you are, I started to run and I didn’t know where I was running to. Just looking at the faces of everybody it’s just great to live.”
It sure is, Mikel. It sure is.