Jeff Stelling causes a stir after calling Arsenal’s football painfully dull

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, speaking to Match of the Day: “A massive win. We knew the difficulty of it. Big credit to Crystal Palace for the way they set up. They made it really difficult for us. We found a way to score against a team really well organised.

“We didn’t score a second goal and when you don’t do that you are in danger. They [Palace] are a super difficult side. We have restricted them to very little.”

On Eberechi Eze’s goal against his old club: “The technique is unbelievable. We needed something [special] against a team so well organised.”

On the title race: “It’s very early, we’re still in October. The emotional state is really high but there are a lot of thing to get better. Let’s try and recover for Wednesday [Brighton in the Carabao Cup].”

As mentioned, Jeff Stelling causes a stir after calling Arsenal’s football painfully dull…

@HLTCO: Arsenal have spent the last few years under Arteta being called bottlers and bridesmaids, now they’re top by 4 points, are perfect in the UCL and have conceded 3 goals in 13 games in all comps and they’re getting stick for being boring. If they were 4th having let in 16 goals, they’d get dug out for not learning how to win games and titles.

@chuckdavie: In 22/23 we scored 88 goals, our most ever in a Premier League season. In 23/24 we broke it again to get 91 goals. We didn’t win the league (again) and you all slated us for being second again olé olé. I think it’s fine at the 4th time of asking to try and break all defensive records in the game to win a title. Whatever it takes.

@adamkeys_: It’s funny how the team attacking gets criticised and not the teams who set up to play in rigid mid and low blocks, without any intent on coming forward, even when they go 1-0 down.

@prioritymac86: If you want a more entertaining match, tell the opponent to come out and play instead low blocking. They won’t, because they know it’s suicide. We’re done with the entertainment, we want the league.

@AFCB1ll: City and Villa a much better game and how did that work out for City?

@NicoAnelka9: Villa were playing City. Real were playing Barca. But you all chose to watch ‘boring Arsenal’. It’s not adding up, someone is somewhere is telling lies

@BPhillips1988: 4-0 Atleti, 5-0 Leeds, 3-0 Forest.. short memories. Palace came to defend and defended very well tbf to them. Arsenal are there to win a league not provide entertainment for the neutrals.

@kegsymartin: I was at the game yesterday, and as much as I admire Palace’s performance, organisation, discipline, there was literally no space in behind them, and they were relying on hitting Arsenal on the counter. It takes two teams to put on a spectacle for the viewers.

@Rossdavies77: You’re better than this Jeff! How do you suppose Arsenal play open, free flowing, flamboyant football when teams are only interested in sitting deep and gumming up the space? Presumably you prefer watching Liverpool’s basketball games? Good fun, but they’re now 7 back

@leegooner123: This is unfair Jeff. Palace are a very decent team and can hurt you. Games about winning and we get stick for finding a way to do it. In past years when Man U , city and Chelsea did this the comment was” that’s what champion do “ Arsenal do it and all of a sudden it’s boring

@KevinWh14063568: Arsenal fans had 10/15 years of playing open, expansive football and we used to get smashed in every big game. I’ll take being “boring” if it means we finally win the league again 👌

@block5BP: Fail to mention that we play against deep blocks week in week out, I get we should break them down but we usually find a way to win so I don’t see the issue? Just look at Atleti in the week or Leeds at home… you don’t play deep against us, you get punished.

@nws13: That’s the life of being a Gooner for you haha. I thought you guys set up really tough against us, and teams are so quick to get into a deep block against us, it’s hard to play the tippy tappy fluid stuff we used to feast on against less organized defences.