Against Watford, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta managed to provide more than moral support and tactical instructions from the sidelines. The Spaniard came outside his technical area to pass the ball to Bukayo Saka for a quick throw-in that resulted in Gabriel Martinelli’s goal on the counter attack.
Arteta’s quick thinking sparked an effective counter-attack for the Gunners that found its way towards Martinelli. The Brazilian beat Ben Foster in goal quite easily as the ball nestled in the back of the Hornets’ nest.
While Arsenal seemed to have a two-goal cushion following the goal, that particular finish proved extremely important in the scheme of things. Watford grabbed a late goal which could’ve threatened a draw but ultimately the Gunners returned home with all three points.
Goals from Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Martinelli wrapped up the three points for Arsenal in a prolific attacking display away from home. In the post-match press conference, Arteta refused to take credit for the goal but mentioned that it’s always positive when everyone can help the team.
“If it helped the team a little bit to get what we wanted, that’s exactly what we need. Everybody can contribute somehow and I had the opportunity to do that, so it’s good,”
the Spaniard said after the match.
With the help of that win, the Gunners overtook Manchester United to occupy the coveted fourth spot in the Premier League table. They are firmly in the race to attain Champions League football next season but have several games left to play and cannot afford to rest on their laurels.
Meanwhile, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has stepped in and brought to light that the fourth-official could’ve done more to prevent the Spaniard’s involvement. With that being said, Gallagher also added that technically Arteta didn’t commit any offence since he has only retrieved the ball as it had come to him.
“The fourth official is the sole judge of the technical area, he’s meant to monitor the manager inside, he’s meant to stop him going outside and encroaching onto the pitch.
“He’s allowed him to go out, whether he’s been too slow to go out and stop him I don’t know. He hasn’t really committed an offence because he’s become almost a ball-boy hasn’t he, he’s retrieved the ball. It’s come to him, he’s thrown it back, you wouldn’t expect him to let the ball go past him, you’d have moaned even more then.
“But we talk about this because it actually resulted in a goal, but that’s all he’s done, he’s guilty of coming out his technical area,”
said Gallagher.
