Draw against ManCity

“Third division”: Roy Keane settles accounts with Arsenal

Roy Keane criticizes Arsenal's defensive behaviour in the second half.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS, APA/AFP/Glyn KIRK)

Roy Keane did not like the way Arsenal tried to defend a 2-1 win against Manchester City on Sunday despite being outnumbered. "What are you? Second division? Third division?", the pundit reckoned with the Gunners, who ultimately conceded 2-2 in the very last second of the game. 

"When coaches like Tony Pulis, Sam Allardyce, Steve Bruce or Neil Warnock set a team up like that in the second half, they are dinosaurs. When Arsenal do that, it's called brilliant," the Irishman cannot understand. 

The background: Leandro Trossard was shown a yellow card just before the break, meaning Arsenal had to start the second half short-handed and Mikel Arteta sent his charges back out onto the pitch with particularly defensive instructions. 

"What are you?"
"There was a scene where Ben White just kicked the ball out, Declan Rice just knocked the ball away several times," Keane recalled on the Sky program "Stick to Football". Measures that should not be expected from such a team. "We're talking about Arsenal here, not a lower-ranked team playing in the FA Cup. When I see English internationals simply knocking the ball out of play, I think to myself: What are you? Second division? Third division?"

The late goal conceded meant the north Londoners missed out on taking over at the top of the table and are still two points behind Manchester City. Arteta's side face Leicester City at home on Saturday.