Mikel Arteta has opened up about his touchline spat with Jurgen Klopp during Arsenal's defeat to Liverpool last weekend.
The Gunners got off to a solid start at Anfield but crumbled after Sadio Mane broke the deadlock in the 39th-minute, conceding three second-half goals as the Reds then dominated in every area of the pitch.
However, perhaps the biggest talking point of the game was a clash between the two coaches in the first half after the Spaniard became visibly annoyed following a challenge from the aforementioned Mane.
The two managers were involved in a heated exchange before being separated by their respective coaching staff and now Arteta has claimed that he will always defend his players.
"With the situation I had with Jurgen, I think you have to be spontaneous and do what you do," he said. "I will always defend my club, my team and the players on the pitch."
Asked how his players responded to the altercation, he replied: "I don’t know, it’s who I am. If I feel like this, I will react and if I feel I have to defend my players, then I would do it."
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Arsenal will hope to get back to winning ways this weekend as they host Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium, marking a return for Hale End academy graduate Joe Willock.
Arteta claimed that it was a tough decision to sell Willock, who spent 17 years with the north Londoners, over the summer but admitted that everyone at the club still has a soft spot for him.
"It will be really nice, we all love Joe", he added. "It was a difficult decision to let him go. He knows the reception he's going to get."
