"It’s an uphill battle from there" - Arsenal star Aaron Ramsdale laments about refereeing decisions during North London derby loss to Tottenham
Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale bemoaned some of the refereeing decisions in their 3-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Thursday.
The Gunners were soundly beaten at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the race for the top four saw another huge twist, with Spurs now just a point behind them with two games remaining.
Harry Kane put the hosts in front from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute after Son Heung-min was shoved inside the area by Cedric Soares.
Eleven minutes later, Rob Holding was sent off after receiving his second yellow card, and both decisions seemed fair enough.
◉ 22': Spurs 1-0 Arsenal
◉ 33': Rob Holding sent off
◉ 37': Spurs 2-0 Arsenal
Tottenham are painting North London white. ⚪️ https://t.co/gLf4GD5GLo
However, Ramsdale thinks otherwise. Speaking to Arsenal Media after the match (via Metro), he said:
"Yeah, it’s obviously not what we came here for. We came here for three points, personally, decisions went against us tonight."
He continued:
"I’ve not seen replays; we’re an honest bunch of lads, so when we see the replays, and if it is a penalty and it is a sending off, we’ll be the first to admit it, but on first glance, I feel like the big decisions went against us, and then it’s an uphill battle from there."
Just four minutes after Holding was sent off, Kane doubled Tottenham's lead before Son made it 3-0 shortly into the restart to put the result beyond doubt.
Ramsdale lamented that it all went downhill for Arsenal very quickly, adding:
"If you get the next goal, the crowd can get a bit nervous, and we could be back in the game, and unfortunately, we conceded just after half time and that’s game over."
Tottenham are now just a point behind Arsenal in fifth, with two games to go.
Arsenal manager left fuming with refereeing decisions
It wasn't just Ramsdale who disagreed with the decisions. Manager Mikel Arteta has dared referee Paul Tierney to explain himself on camera.
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Rob Holding is sent off for Arsenal after receiving two yellow cards 😲🟥 https://t.co/DnE8em3ubX
He feared the repercussions for expressing his true feeling and hence refrained from speaking his mind. At the post-match press conference, he said:
"If I say what I think I’m suspended six months, so I cannot say. I’m allowed to give my interpretation of what happened in the game but I don’t know how to lie, I don’t like lying so I prefer not to say what I think. I cannot say what I think, I’ll be suspended."
Insisting that he wasn't unhappy with his players, but only with the match official, the Spaniard added:
"With my players, no (not unhappy). I’m so proud of my players. Ask the referee to come in front of the camera and explain his decisions. They’re his decisions."
He continued:
"It’s a shame because a beautiful game was destroyed today."