Mikel Arteta banned for Aston Villa after Rice goal celebrations | OneFootball

Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta is set to miss his team’s next match from the touchline due to a suspension, a consequence of his animated celebration during their recent victory against Luton Town and PGMOL being an absolute disgrace.

Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, will miss the upcoming match against Aston Villa from the touchline due to a suspension.

This follows his booking for celebrating Declan Rice’s dramatic 97th-minute winner against Luton Town, his third yellow card of the season.

The ‘incident’ occurred at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday, where Arteta, overcome with emotion as we all were, charged down the touchline and onto the pitch, joining in the celebrations with his staff.

The referee, Samuel Barrott, subsequently issued him a yellow card.

This booking means Arteta will now face an automatic one-match touchline ban.

Reflecting on the incident, Arteta expressed no regrets, acknowledging his lack of spatial awareness in the heat of the moment. He described his reaction as “pure emotion,” and accepted the yellow card with a pragmatic stance.

The match itself was a rollercoaster for Arsenal, starting strong with Gabriel Martinelli scoring from Bukayo Saka’s assist. Luton Town responded swiftly with Gabriel Osho equalising from a corner.

Arsenal regained the lead with Gabriel Jesus scoring, only for Luton to level again through Elijah Adebayo.

Luton then took a surprise lead with a goal from Ross Barkley, but Arsenal’s Kai Havertz quickly equalised, setting the stage for Rice’s last-minute heroics.

Rice’s goal, from Martin Odegaard’s cross, not only won the game but also extended Arsenal’s winning streak in the league to four matches.

Arteta praised the match’s emotional highs and acknowledged Luton Town’s strong performance and the challenging atmosphere they created.

He commended his team’s resilience, character, and quality, highlighting the demanding schedule and the players’ commitment to winning.

Despite conceding goals, Arteta focused on the team’s reaction, emphasising the importance of how they respond to setbacks.

There has, of course, been no mention in the press of the nailed-on penalty Arsenal should have had for this foul on Gabriel: