Mikel Arteta advised those criticizing Arsenal’s match against Bournemouth last week to “go to church” and not to football matches.
Arsenal’s players and staff celebrated Reiss Nelson’s win boisterously in the 97th minute on the pitch as they bounced back from two goals conceded to win 3–2 at the Emirates Stadium.
The Football Association launched an investigation into the perky scenes after they were mentioned in referee Chris Kavanagh’s report, but no further action was taken.
Some pundits, including Gary Neville, have questioned Arsenal’s celebrations this season at times, but Arteta isn’t about to ask his players to rein him in.
“If you win at football, you celebrate,” he said. “If you want passion and emotion, there is nothing better than scoring goals and winning football matches.
“If not, then go to church. Of course, I won’t tell the players not to celebrate on Sunday.”
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— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 11, 2023
Arsenal are two points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s trip to London’s Fulham.
Arteta’s side have won four straight league victories and could be boosted by the return of striker Gabriel Jesus, who hasn’t played since the World Cup break began.
Asked if Jesus could play against Fulham as he was not selected against Sporting in the middle of the week, Arteta replied: “We’ll see.
“He really needs to feel confident and ready to play. He has a big say in this.”