"They've won nothing", "You're celebrating mediocrity" - Graeme Souness and Simon Jordan blast Arsenal and Arteta for celebrating excessively against Fulham
Pundits Simon Jordan and Graeme Souness have lambasted the Arsenal squad and manager Mikel Arteta for excessively celebrating their victory over Fulham in the Premier League on August 27.
Arsenal found themselves trailing at the start of the second half. Aleksandar Mitrovic found the back of the net after stealing the ball from Gabriel Magalhaes in the 56th minute.
However, the Gunners quickly recovered, with Martin Odegaard scoring the equalizer 12 minutes after Mitrovic's strike. The north London outfit finally managed to secure all three points as Gabriel vindicated himself by adding his name to the scoresheet.
Mitrovic
FT Arsenal 2-1 Fulham
⚽ Mitrovic
⚽ Odegaard
⚽ Gabriel
Gabriel makes amends for his mistake for Fulham's goal to win it for Arsenal late on and maintain their perfect start to the season.
#AFC | #FFC | #ARSFUL https://t.co/sOzhlI8APW
Souness understood Arsenal's ecstasy after earning a comeback against the Cottaggers. However, he believes that the Gunners' testing fixtures still lie ahead of them.
The former Liverpool footballer said on TalkSPORT:
“You win, you’re delighted. When you win from coming from behind then you’re even more delighted, there’s an element of that."
He continued:
"[But] they’ve won nothing, it’s just another step in the right direction. We come back to it, their big tests [against Liverpool and Manchester City] are all ahead of them.”
Jordan agreed with Souness' statements and criticized the Gunners for 'celebrating mediocrity'.
The former Crystal Palace owner added:
“You’re celebrating mediocrity. You’ve won a game. For god’s sake what are you going to do if you actually win something? How far do you go then, what do you do then? Is everyone going to strip butt naked and run around the pitch in laps and celebrate for a week and a half?"
He further said:
“In the moment, yes. But after the game, get on with the next one. Next. Next. Next.”
Richard Keys criticises Arsenal's excessive celebrations
Only three clubs in Europe's top five leagues still remain perfect 💯
Arsenal—4/4 wins
Real Madrid—3/3 wins
Real Betis—3/3 wins https://t.co/lpSS0UtOka
BeIN Sports pundit Richard Keys has also revealed his thoughts on Arsenal's jubilant celebrations following their victory against Fulham.
The Gunners have maintained their perfect win record this season by securing their win over the Cottagers. The north London outfit find themselves at the top of the Premier League table ahead of last season's champions, Manchester City.
Keys failed to understand the reason for the Gunners' extravagant celebrations after merely winning a single game. During BeIN Sports' post-match coverage of the game, the Englishman said (via GOAL):
"Steady, it’s Fulham, and they trailed at one time. Yeah, well played, you came back to win it and they keep their 100 per cent record intact. But they haven’t won the [Premier League] title tonight. They have won a London derby. They’re four games into the season. Look at the manager."
He went on to say:
“Enjoy it, but I don’t understand this. They’ve beaten Fulham. They’ve won nothing. They’ve over celebrated this.”