Mikel Arteta joked he has told Arsenal’s players to “play without the ball” after seeing Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard sent off for delaying restarts in recent weeks.
Arsenal were moments away from a famous win over Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Sunday despite playing over half the game with 10 men, after Trossard received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away.
However, John Stones’ 98th-minute equaliser broke their resistance as they drew for the second time this term, having also drawn 1-1 with Brighton when Declan Rice saw red over a similar incident.
Arsenal’s use of the “dark arts” has come in for criticism in the last few days, but Arteta has not warned his players against employing similar tactics in the future.
Asked if he had taken steps to avoid seeing another player dismissed for kicking the ball away, he said: “For passing the ball, you mean?
“Just leave the ball. Don’t touch the ball. We will play without the ball.”
Asked if he had any new thoughts on Trossard’s sending off, he said: “I reflected post-match, it’s the same reflection today. It’s the same answer. I was very clear about it.”
Arsenal spent a total of nine minutes and four seconds on their goal-kicks in Sunday’s match – the most by any team in a Premier League game this season.