The ‘negative’ narratives surrounding Arsenal’s win over Chelsea, after their set-piece prowess again stole the headlines has been slammed by Gunners legend Emmanuel Petit.
The Gunners secured a crucial three points with a hard-fought 2-1 win against their London rivals at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s side maintain their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League, although second-placed Manchester City, who beat Leeds United a day earlier, still having a game in hand.
While Arsenal boosted their title hopes massively by getting over the line against the blues, it was far from a convincing display.
Both Gunners goals came from well-worked corner routines and they were enough to get the hosts over the line against ten-man Chelsea.
First, William Saliba nodded the ball in-off Chelsea’s Mamadou Sarr from a corner, before Jurrien Timber headed in the winner from another Declan Rice delivery in the 66th minute.
Even after Pedro Neto’s 70th-minute sending off, the Gunners endured a nervy end to the match, with Liam Delap having a late equaliser ruled out by VAR.
Despite Arsenal edging the gritty affair, it wasn’t long before media outlets chose to focus on the manner of their victory.
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Timber’s goal marked the 16th time Arsenal had scored from a corner this Premier League season.
No team in Premier League history has netted more goals this way in a single term, with Oldham Athletic and West Brom scoring the same number during the 1992/93 and 2016/17 campaigns respectively.
With the Gunners once again being labelled ‘Set Piece FC’, club legend Petit aired his frustrations during an explosive rant on talkSPORT’s White and Jordan on Monday.
Blasting the media response, he said: “[They] always try to give negative comments, never see the positive side. Never try to find something positive.
“It’s like seeing the empty glass or the full glass. It’s always the same old story.”
Continuing to vent his anger, Petit urged the media to focus on Arsenal winning another crucial match in their title run-in.
He continued: “Even when Arsenal win a game, just like yesterday, it’s about set pieces. Okay, so is it important to win the three points?
“Nobody is saying anything positive, all the time. I mean, it’s very rare, actually.
“I read the newspaper this morning. It’s kind of negative, you know? It’s like: ‘Set Piece FC’, things like this.
“But at the end of the day, it’s three points. I mean, just say it.”
