Arsenal icon insists Gunners' 'dark arts' should be CELEBRATED after Man City draw

Former Arsenal star Martin Keown has defended Mikel Arteta's tactics against Manchester City, making is clear he has no issues with so-called 'dark arts'.

Keown, a three-time Premier League winner with the Gunners, made 10 league appearances in the 'Invincibles' season. That 2003-04 triumph remains the club's most recent league triumph with Arsene Wenger in charge, though they took the battle to the final day last season.

Under Mikel Arteta, they were two minutes from moving top of the league with a win at Manchester City on Sunday. This was despite playing half the game a man down and holding out until John Stones forced home a last-gasp equaliser.

Several Arsenal players were shown yellow cards for delaying play during the draw, with Leandro Trossard sent off for a second yellow after kicking the ball away. However, Keown has no problem with how his old employers behaved at 2-1 up and indeed argued their tactics should be celebrated.

READ MORE: Sky Sports fans can save £216 on their bill, here's three other reasons you'll want to pick it

READ MORE: Arsenal time-wasting? New footage shows Mikel Arteta tactic during Man City draw

"Mikel Arteta's men do not deserve the criticism they've received for how they went on to extract a result from the Etihad Stadium," Keown wrote for The Mail. "They should be celebrated for how cleverly they contained City, to the extent that Pep Guardiola's magnificent winning machine relied on John Stones scoring their latest-ever Premier League goal to avoid losing.

"Arsenal were leading 2-1, down to 10 men after a ridiculous red card for Leandro Trossard, and had 45 minutes to play against one of the world's greatest teams, the champions, searching for a fifth consecutive title. What else could they do except make sure they defended their slender advantage with everything they had?

"It's like asking Frank Bruno to let go of Mike Tyson. You're begging to be knocked out. I've heard the holier-than-thou comments coming from various voices within the game, as if what Arsenal did was ugly and unfair."

Should Arsenal's behaviour be celebrated? Have your say in the comments section

A number of Manchester City players voiced their frustrations at Arsenal's behaviour after the draw. Their manager Pep Guardiola took a different approach, though, attempting to prevent his squad getting dragged in.

"Focus on the game and defend yourself,” the Catalan said. "Focus on the game, focus on what we have to do. Try to do what we've done for many, many years. Defend yourself, that's all I ask. I know what the opponents are going to do. Tactically, there is always a way to try to do it.

"The other behaviours we cannot control, so don't go away from what's important - the game. We are an honest team. We go out there and try to do our best."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.