Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta delivers honest verdict on Fabio Vieira red card after astonishing VAR rant last week
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has offered his verdict on midfielder Fabio Vieira, who was sent off in the 3-1 Premier League home win over Burnley on Saturday (November 11).
In a cagey first half at the Emirates, Leandro Trossard fired the Gunners in front on the cusp of half-time. Josh Brownhill restored parity for the visitors, but it was short-lived, as William Saliba restored Arteta's side's lead three minutes later.
Oleksandr Zinchenko produced a top-drawer finish to make it 3-1 with 16 minutes to go. Vieira then got sent off for a rash studs-up challenge on Burnley scorer Brownhill, receiving a straight red, but the Gunners held on to the win.
Arteta, after his extraordinary rant against VAR in the league defeat at Newcastle last weekend, was much more mellow. The Spaniard admitted, albeit a touch sarcastically, that it was a red-card offence, which was upheld by the video assistant referee.
"With the red card yes, thank you for asking me, VAR was right," Arteta said (as per Daily Mail). "The referee was right. Really good decision. ... Yeah, good decision."
The win propelled the Gunners to second in the standings, behind Manchester City (27) on goal difference. The Cityzens - who have a game in hand - play Chelsea away on Sunday.
"Very happy with the performance" - Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
Fabio Vieira's red card notwithstanding, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was a happy man following the home win over Burnley. The Spaniard was especially delighted with how his team dominated the game against an 'organised' opponent.
Following their first league defeat of the season at Newcastle last weekend, Arteta's side returned to winning ways. They were also coming off a convincing 2-0 home win over Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.
Arteta said about his team's dominant performance (as per BBC):
"Very happy with the performance. The way the team dominated the game. We fully deserved to win the game. Especially against organised teams, we're provoking, they were defending really deep. We generated a lot today and looked a threat every time."
The Spaniard also had a word of appreciation for Trossard, who bagged Arsenal's 1000th goal at the Emirates, which hosted its first game in 2006:
"A special one because he put his body on the line and now his name will be on the beautiful number. A beautiful moment."
Following the international break, the Gunners return to league action at Brentford on November 25.