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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Dan Marsh

Mikel Arteta bust-up that nearly saw ex-Chelsea boss pass judgment on Bukayo Saka

Arsenal and Chelsea lock horns again in the Premier League on Tuesday night - and the Gunners will be hoping for a repeat of the reverse fixture as they battle to keep their title dream alive.

Mikel Arteta's side ran out 1-0 winners against the Blues at Stamford Bridge and will head into this rearranged clash as heavy favourites despite their recent poor form.

Intriguingly, Arteta will pit his wits against a different coach this time around, with Frank Lampard currently in position as Chelsea's caretaker manager following the departure of Graham Potter. And that might be just as well, as the two became embroiled in a bitter bust-up involving Bukayo Saka back in November.

Arteta reacted furiously when Saka was sent tumbling to the turf by Marc Cucurella, but Potter wasn't convinced and tempers soon boiled on the touchline. The former Chelsea chief would then stoke the flames after the match when he suggested the England winger went down too easily.

Potter, who was sacked by the Blues at the start of April after just six months at the helm, said of the incident: “I think there was one action that was a little bit contentious shall we say but I don’t think he is that type of player.”

While Potter won't be present at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, both Arteta and Saka will be as the Gunners bid to pile the pressure on Manchester City.

Arsenal have surrendered their lead at the summit of the Premier League after dropping points in four successive matches: a run which culminated in a demoralising 4-1 defeat against Pep Guardiola's side at the Etihad last week.

Join the debate! Who do you think will come out on top between Arsenal and Chelsea? Let us know here.

Ahead of this week's London derby, Arteta insisted that his side would dust themselves down and continue to push Manchester City until it was no longer mathematically possible to do so.

"It is difficult but in sport, you have to accept the reality, and when a team is able to take the game to a different level and you're not able to step up to that, you have to recognise that there is still work to do, not get confused, be very humble and recognise what our strengths are and what our weaknesses are to be better," the Spaniard said.

"The reality is as well that for 247 days we have been with them, and tomorrow can be another where we are still there. There are five games to go so there are a lot of things that we have done well for 10 months.

"Now it is not in our hands, but what is in our hands is to win our games. That's what we are going to try to do and the rest is down to City."

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