Mikel Arteta furious at match officials after Arsenal defeat to Aston Villa

- Arteta lamented on some refereeing decisions which he believes played part in his side’s defeat against Aston Villa

- One incident involved Lacazette being tugged down by the Villa keeper

- The Arsenal boss was seen confronting the referee after the game but was coy when asked what they discussed

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Mikel Arteta made it clear he did not agree with some of the refereeing decisions in Arsenal’s defeat tp Aston Villa on Saturday, February 6.

An Ollie Watkins strike after 74 seconds of the game was enough for Dean Smith’s side to see off the game.

Arteta spoke after the game where he discussed a number of issues including his side’s performance which he said was superb.

"It was a really strong performance again today," he said. "We completely dominated the game, we dominated every department and we should have won the game.

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The Arsenal boss was however quite livid with referee Chris Kavanagh, and he was seen engrossed in discussion with the match official after the game.

One major talking point was when Emiliano Martinez seemed to tug on Alexandre Lacazzette during a corner, in an incident which was completely ignored by the ref.

Arteta also fent Ezri Konsa should have been sent off for a challenge on Bukayo Saka as the young winger raced towards goal in the first half.

Asked whether he felt his team were hard-done by, Arteta said, “As you could see, I was really animated for a few decisions and one big decision I will not discuss here as well, what happened. It is what it is. It is not an excuse, Regardless of those decisions, we have to win the game. It is as simple as that.”

Arsenal were thoroughy dominant throughout the game but could not convert, even with the addition of their talisman Pierre Emerick Aubameyang in the second half.

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Another blow for the Gunners was the sight of Thomas Partey limping off in what looked like a recurrence off a stubborn thigh injury.

The midfielder has only completed the full 90 minutes four times since his October move from Atletico Madrid.

"He had a muscular issue so we had to take him off," Arteta confirmed. "He could not carry on playing. We will see the extent of the injury. He wasn't feeling well enough to continue playing so we had to take him off."Arteta confirmed.

Arsenal face Leeds United in their next league game as they look to bounce back to winning ways against an unpredictable Marcelo Bielsa side.

Earlier, Legit.ng had reported how German professional footballer Shkodran Mustafi finally left Premier League side Arsenal for a return to his country joining Schalke 04 on a free transfer from the Emirates stadium.

Since Spaniard Mikel Arteta took over as Arsenal gaffer, Mustafi found it difficult to break into the first team which forced him out of the Premier League side.

The 28-year-old wants to keep his place in the German national senior team and getting active playing time elsewhere will be the panacea for him.

Source: Legit.ng