Mikel Arteta has addressed the altercation between Ben White and teammate Oleksandr Zinchenko following Arsenal’s 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest.
Despite securing a 2-0 lead with goals from Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka in the second half, Arsenal couldn’t maintain a clean sheet as Forest scored in the 89th minute.
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Unpleasant scenes unfolded at the end of the match, with White and Zinchenko engaging in a heated exchange on the pitch regarding Forest’s late goal.
The Arsenal pair had to be physically separated, with Arteta intervening to calm down the Ukrainian left-back
‘That’s pushing each other and being not happy conceding and I have to encourage that and promote it in the right way and a respectful way,’ Arteta told TNT Sports about the incident.
‘Sometimes after the game it’s emotional and heated but I love that the players are pushing each other and demanding excellence.’
When pressed further about the ugly scenes, Arteta said in his post-match press conference: ‘I love it. They are demanding more.
‘They are just trying to resolve it. Playing the way we played the result has to be bigger.’
Arteta, speaking generally about Arsenal’s win at the City Ground, added: ‘I’m really happy with the performance and the result. What happened last year (defeat handing the Premier League title to Man City) was still in our tummy.
‘The performance was good, we had to be patient, we were able to generate chances in various ways which is pleasing. We conceded a goal and then you had to suffer.’
