12th March, 2023
Mikel Arteta told those who criticised Arsenal’s celebrations against Bournemouth last week to “go to church” instead of attending football matches.
Arsenal players and staff celebrated Reiss Nelson’s 97th-minute winner wildly on the pitch as they recovered from two goals down to win 3-2 at Emirates Stadium.
The Football Association opened an investigation into the fervent 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 at times this season, but Arteta has no intention of telling his players to rein it in.
“If you win in football, you celebrate,” he said. “If you want passion and emotion, there is nothing better than scoring goals and winning football matches.
“If not, you go to church. For sure, I won’t be telling the players not to celebrate on Sunday.”
Arsenal have a two-point lead on Manchester City at the top of the Premier League ahead of their trip to London rivals Fulham on Sunday.
Arteta’s side have won four in a row in the league and could be boosted by the return of striker Gabriel Jesus, who has not played since before the World Cup break.
Asked if Jesus could feature against Fulham, having been overlooked for selection against Sporting CP in midweek, Arteta said: “Let’s see.
“He really needs to feel confident and ready to go. He has a big say in that.”