Richard Keys has hit back at suggestions that Arsenal played ‘anti-football’ in their 2-2 draw at Manchester City on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s men were just seconds away from a famous 2-1 win at the Etihad in the Premier League clash, but conceded a late John Stones leveller.
The Gunners faced accusations after the match of using the dark arts and playing anti-football as they sought to disrupt the Cityzens’ flow.
Keys though is unwilling to accept that Arsenal played anti-football and feels if they had got over the line then they would have thoroughly deserved all three points at the Etihad.
The veteran broadcaster wrote on his blog: “Six seconds. That’s all there was of the game left. Michael Oliver ended the match exactly six seconds of playing time after City’s equaliser. That’s how close the Gunners were to a statement win.
“I thought they were terrific.
“If they’d held on they would’ve deserved the win. I don’t buy the accusation their performance was ‘anti-football’. No it wasn’t.
“There are two sides to a game of football – offence and defence.
“Arsenal took the game to City in the first-half – then, after shooting themselves in the foot again, put on a magnificent show of dogged defending.”
Arsenal were forced to play for the entire second half with just ten men after Leandro Trossard received his marching orders for a second yellow card just before the break.
Manchester City’s first goal came from the prolific Erling Haaland and represented his 100th goal for the Cityzens.
