Arsenal match-winner Bukayo Saka has revealed his dialogue with referee Andy Madley during Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa. The attacker says that opposition players were "purposely" kicking out at him.
His strike on the half-hour sees the Gunners open up a four-point gap from Manchester United in fifth with a game in hand over the Red Devils. The England international, who has been named in Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad for next week’s friendlies, was a livewire all game.
Villa personnel hounded him throughout the 69 minutes he played, albeit Saka said he smelt some foul play going on. Speaking to BT Sport post-match he said: "I wasn’t complaining to the ref, but I just wanted to let him know that that’s my game - running at players with pace - and sometimes I need a bit more protection when players are purposefully trying to kick me."
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Arsenal actually conceded the most fouls during the game with 14, edging the home side’s 13, while both teams received three yellow cards. But the stat that matters is the scoreline, and Saka noted the importance of the three points in the race for top four.
He added: "It’s a big win off the back of the Liverpool defeat midweek. We knew that today was even bigger and to get that result today, the three points it means so much for the rest of the season. We’re so happy."
Speaking on the battle for the final Champions League spot, he said: "That’s the aim, but we have to stay humble and treat every game as a cup final for sure." His goal, which takes his tally up to ten for the season, had extra significance with it being Arsenal’s 2,000th Premier League goal.
He described the achievement as "special", adding: "It’s an honour to be among a lot of great goal scorers for Arsenal."
