Wolves boss Gary O’Neil slams Arsenal tactic and calls for Premier League clampdown
First-half goals from Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard earned Arsenal all three points against Wolves, and Gary O’Neil was far from pleased with the Gunners’ late antics
Gary O’Neil was not pleased following Wolves’ defeat against Arsenal
Gary O’Neil was not pleased following
Gary O’Neil has slammed Arsenal’s “timewasting” tactic during the closing stages of Wolves ‘ 2-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The Gunners stormed into a two-goal lead in north London thanks to Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard. Mikel Arteta’s side could have put the game to bed, but they allowed Wolves back into the contest, with Matheus Cunha scoring. However, it was too little too late for the away side to get anything from the match.
Speaking after the game, O’Neil was left unhappy that Arsenal appeared to running down the clock and the Wolves boss accused the Gunners of wasting time. Defeat for the West Midlands outfit leaves them in 13th, six points clear of the relegation zone.
He told beIN Sport: “I just thought Arsenal took ages over the restarts at the end. I was told we were going to 98 because there was a long stoppage in added time but they had three restarts and they took 45 seconds with each.
Amazon deals – How you can watch Premier League matches for free this December
Saka shines as Arsenal survive late scare against Wolves – 6 talking points
“I felt at the time it could have been extended slightly because we’re trying to clamp down on timewasting. We’re seeing a lot of people booked for delaying restarts and didn’t feel like we go the time we thought we should’ve had.”
Speaking more generally on his side’s set up and their performance, O’Neil said: “We managed to hang in there and create a bit of a scare, and the lads should take a lot from that.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Arteta commented on his team’s display and was delighted with how they dominated large periods of the match. The Spaniard said: “I can only praise the players the way they played, competed, they were excellent. We played against a really good side and we generated so much and conceded almost nothing.
Arsenal ran out 2-1 winners over Wolves
Arsenal ran out 2-1 winners over Wolves ( Image: Getty Images)
“The scoreline should’ve been very different, we are really unlucky in certain moments, we hit the post twice or three times I think, and at the end we made an error close to the goal and in the Premier League you get punished big time and then it’s game on, but I am really, really happy with how we performed again.”
The win for Arsenal moves them four points clear at the top of the Premier League table. Arteta added: “Improvements and the consistency, when you play every three days it’s very, very tough to do what we’ve done in the week and we have to maintain that, there are certainties that we constantly do in games the outcome is going to be really positive for us and the team has to rely on that and the rest is coming,” Arteta added.
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Wolves boss Gary O’Neil slams Arsenal tactic and calls for Premier League clampdown
First-half goals from Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard earned Arsenal all three points against Wolves, and Gary O’Neil was far from pleased with the Gunners’ late antics
Gary O’Neil was not pleased following Wolves’ defeat against Arsenal
Gary O’Neil was not pleased following
Gary O’Neil has slammed Arsenal’s “timewasting” tactic during the closing stages of Wolves ‘ 2-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
The Gunners stormed into a two-goal lead in north London thanks to Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard. Mikel Arteta’s side could have put the game to bed, but they allowed Wolves back into the contest, with Matheus Cunha scoring. However, it was too little too late for the away side to get anything from the match.
Speaking after the game, O’Neil was left unhappy that Arsenal appeared to running down the clock and the Wolves boss accused the Gunners of wasting time. Defeat for the West Midlands outfit leaves them in 13th, six points clear of the relegation zone.
He told beIN Sport: “I just thought Arsenal took ages over the restarts at the end. I was told we were going to 98 because there was a long stoppage in added time but they had three restarts and they took 45 seconds with each.
Amazon deals – How you can watch Premier League matches for free this December
Saka shines as Arsenal survive late scare against Wolves – 6 talking points
“I felt at the time it could have been extended slightly because we’re trying to clamp down on timewasting. We’re seeing a lot of people booked for delaying restarts and didn’t feel like we go the time we thought we should’ve had.”
Speaking more generally on his side’s set up and their performance, O’Neil said: “We managed to hang in there and create a bit of a scare, and the lads should take a lot from that.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Arteta commented on his team’s display and was delighted with how they dominated large periods of the match. The Spaniard said: “I can only praise the players the way they played, competed, they were excellent. We played against a really good side and we generated so much and conceded almost nothing.
Arsenal ran out 2-1 winners over Wolves
Arsenal ran out 2-1 winners over Wolves ( Image: Getty Images)
“The scoreline should’ve been very different, we are really unlucky in certain moments, we hit the post twice or three times I think, and at the end we made an error close to the goal and in the Premier League you get punished big time and then it’s game on, but I am really, really happy with how we performed again.”
The win for Arsenal moves them four points clear at the top of the Premier League table. Arteta added: “Improvements and the consistency, when you play every three days it’s very, very tough to do what we’ve done in the week and we have to maintain that, there are certainties that we constantly do in games the outcome is going to be really positive for us and the team has to rely on that and the rest is coming,” Arteta added.
Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Watch the Premier League, Champions League and more
Watch the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League and much more
£29.99 a month and get access to discovery+ Premium at no extra cost
TNT Sports gives you access to games across the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, Serie A and many more. You can also watch the biggest clashes in boxing, UFC, WWE and the get exclusive action from MLB all for one payment every month. You can watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.