Mikel Arteta dismissed criticism from Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim over Arsenal’s supposed reliance on set-pieces, insisting his side look to “exploits weaknesses” of opposition teams.
The Gunners powered their way to a 2-0 victory over the Red Devils on Wednesday night thanks to goals from Jurrien Timber and William Saliba, with both strikes coming from well-worked corners in the second half.
United boss Amorim revealed his frustration at Arsenal’s dead-ball expertise after the game, claiming the north Londoners were “not playing well” and wingers Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were trying to win set-pieces from wide positions.
However, Arteta has rubbished the Portuguese’s complaints, saying his team need to “look at every angle” to “exploit the weaknesses of the opposition”.
He told reporters: “We play with inverted wingers, so they double up as well a lot of times inside, so there’s not a lot of space inside.
“When they leave, it leaves a lot of space for the six or the full-back, and if not, it’s for the nine, and then you can go outside. So we need to look at every angle: what they do, where they are weak, and then we can exploit the weaknesses of the opposition.”
Asked if teams are now afraid to concede corners to Arsenal, Arteta added: “I don’t know. We work on what we work. Attacking the box in various ways. This is a way we attack the box and we are very efficient. We will find ways to keep improving.”
Arsenal remain third in the Premier League but cut Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table to seven points after the Reds slipped to a 3-3 draw with Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
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