Unai Emery called for Arsenal to keep their composure in the Premier League run-in, after watching them jump to fourth place in the table after a 2-0 home win over Manchester United.
The Spanish manager also spoke of how more ‘respect’ must be given by supporters, after a fan invaded the pitch and confronted United’s Chris Smalling – the same day that Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish was assaulted by a fan during the derby match against Birmingham City.
Emery added that he “did not want” to see that behaviour and Arsenal released a statement strongly condemning the supporter at the Emirates. The attack on Smalling occurred after Arsenal had scored their second goal – the defender was unhurt and the individual was arrested and escorted from the field.
“We would like to apologise to Chris and Manchester United, and are pleased that [the spectator] was apprehended and arrested,” read the statement. “We will be working closely with the Metropolitan Police in their investigation. The individual will also be banned from Arsenal matches home and away. Our matchday staff receive ongoing training on managing incidents such as this.”
Aston Villa v Preston, 2 Oct 2018
A Villa employee was hit by a cabbage thrown at the then-manager Steve Bruce by his own side’s fans during a 3-3 draw.
Arsenal v Tottenham, 2 Dec 2018
A Tottenham fan threw a banana skin at Arsenal’s Patrick Aubemayang after the striker’s goal in the north London derby at the Emirates. The fan was fined and handed a four-year banning order by magistrates.
Chelsea v Man City, 8 Dec 2018
A Chelsea fan was interviewed by police under caution after allegedly hurling racist abuse at City’s Raheem’s Sterling.
Hibernian v Celtic, 2 Mar 2019
A glass bottle was thrown from the Hibernian support as the Celtic winger Scott Sinclair prepared to take a corner during a cup match.
Sheff Wed v Sheff Utd, 4 Mar 2019
The visiting side’s Jack O’Connell had a coin and a plastic bottle thrown at him as he prepared to take a throw-in.
Hibernian v Rangers, 8 Mar 2019
Rangers’ James Tavernier was confronted by a man who emerged from the same stand as the bottle was thrown against Celtic. Hibs’ chief executive Leeann Dempster refused to rule out closing parts of Easter Road.
Birmingham City v Aston Villa, 10 March 2019
Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish was assaulted by a fan early in the Birmingham derby. The supporter was arrested and Grealish went on to score the winner in Villa's 1-0 win.
Arsenal v Manchester United, 10 Mar 2019
Manchester United's Chris Smalling was approached and shoved by a man shortly after Arsenal scored their second in a 2-0 win. The individual was arrested and Arsenal stated he would be banned from attending any home or away match involving the club.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær also condemned the incident. The caretaker United manager, who tasted defeat in the league for the first time in his tenure as his team slipped to fifth, predicted that the race for the Champions League qualifying spots would “go to the wire,” and Emery knows that mentality will be key.
Only four points now separate third-placed Tottenham from sixth-placed Chelsea – and the latter have a game in hand.
Emery said: “When we were struggling in the table with more points difference, we stayed balanced and now, after this victory, we can be positive but we won’t change our idea – which is to think game by game. We are happy today but Chelsea is with us, and so are United and Tottenham.
“Our last matches are all difficult and being consistent is very important. At the moment, I think we are playing confidently in each match and today we showed everybody that. But we must be calm, be patient and continue improving. Controlling emotion is very important. Keeping this consistency in our mind is very important.”
United created a handful of chances while Romelu Lukaku and Fred hit the woodwork, leaving Solskjær to lament an opportunity missed. He was also unhappy at Jon Moss’s decision to award a penalty against Fred following a challenge on Alexandre Lacazette. Even Emery said the decision was “soft”. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored to put Arsenal in charge at 2-0.
“Today is the lowest we have been because we lost and missed the chance to put pressure on Spurs,” Solskjær said. “We have won games we have not deserved to win and today we lost a game we did not deserve to lose. We created five big chances and hit the woodwork twice. I also don’t think it was a penalty. Jon Moss might be disappointed when he sees it again.”
The four-way sprint for the third and fourth Champions League places
Tottenham
31 Mar Liverpool (A)
7 Apr Brighton (H)
13 Apr Huddersfield (H)
20 Apr Man City (A)
27 Apr West Ham (H)
4 May Bournemouth (A)
12 May Everton (H)
TBC Crystal Palace (H)
Arsenal
1 Apr Newcastle (H)
7 Apr Everton (A)
15 Apr Watford (A)
20 Apr Crystal Palace (H)
29 Apr Leicester (A)
4 May Brighton (H)
12 May Burnley (A)
TBC Wolves (A)
Manchester United
30 Mar Watford (H)
2 Apr Wolves (A)
13 Apr West Ham (H)
21 Apr Everton (A)
24 Apr Man City (H)
28 Apr Chelsea (H)
4 May Huddersfield (A)
12 May Cardiff (H)
Chelsea
17 Mar Everton (A)
31 Mar Cardiff (A)
8 Apr West Ham (H)
14 Apr Liverpool (A)
22 Apr Burnley (H)
28 Apr Man Utd (A)
4 May Watford (H)
12 May Leicester (A)
TBC Brighton (H)
