Noni Madueke was caught appearing to tell Mathys Tel he was ‘s***’ during Arsenal’s statement 4-1 victory over Tottenham in this weekend’s one-sided north London derby.
The Gunners entered the match under enormous pressure after surrendering a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 away to rock-bottom Wolves in the week.
The setback at Molineux meant Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League table had reduced to just two points ahead of kick-off, with Manchester City getting the better of Newcastle 24 hours earlier.
But Arsenal were far and away the better team at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, despite Spurs going into the half-time break level after Randal Kolo Muani had cancelled out Eberechi Eze’s opening goal.
A second-half brace from a resurgent Viktor Gyokeres – either side of Eze’s second on the hour-mark – secured the visitors maximum points and bragging rights over their rivals, who were being managed by Igor Tudor for the first time.
The result leaves Tottenham hovering just four points above the relegation zone. Arsenal, meanwhile, finish the weekend with a five-point advantage over City at the summit.
With Arsenal asserting their dominance after the break, the impressive Madueke took the opportunity to have a pop at opposite number Tel following a coming together on the touchline.
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WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
After he was on the receiving end of a heavy challenge from Tel, Madueke was caught on a nearby microphone appearing to say, ‘F*** off, man!’, before letting the Netherlands international know that he thought he was ‘s***’.
Tel was wise not to risk getting himself in trouble by retaliating, with the hosts already up against it after yet more derby-day heroics from Eze – three months on from his hat-trick in the reverse fixture at the Emirates.
‘He had that belief and I’m really happy with him,’ Mikel Arteta said of Eze’s display in his post-match interview with BBC Sport.
‘He’s really trying to mold and adapt into what we want from him.’
Though immensely ‘proud’ of the performance, Arteta was keen to remind his players that there was still a ‘long way’ to go in the Premier League, with ten matches remaining of the season.
‘I’m really happy, really proud about how we approached the game,’ the Spaniard added.
‘The initiative and the quality we showed to come here and win the game in the way that we did.
‘That is the beauty of football. When you look back at the game against Wolves, how did we draw that game from there? I was out with them every day and I know how much they want it.
‘This is the Premier League, it will go all the way for sure. Ten games in the Premier League is a long way.’
While Eze may take most of the plaudits after a fifth goal in two matches against Spurs, Arteta made sure to praise Gyokeres on his ‘complete’ showing up front.
‘For me, that was the best, the most complete and especially when we need him most,’ he said.
‘That is when big players and big clubs have to stand up: when you are needed.’
Will Arsenal hold their nerve and win the title this season?
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Yes
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No
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