Arsenal news: Mikel Arteta seeks to settle Pep Guardiola feud as he admits Gunners concern

Arsenal defeated Leicester to close the gap on Premier League title rivals Manchester City, but a feud is brewing between Gunners boss Mikel Arteta and his City counterpart Pep Guardiola

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was left relieved as his side eventually defeated struggling Leicester.

The Gunners squandered a two-goal lead against the Foxes, who looked to have claimed a surprise draw as the game entered stoppage time. But a Wilfred Ndidi own-goal and Kai Havertz's strike at the death handed the hosts all three points.

Arteta admitted afterwards that he was concerned his side had thrown away the chance to close the gap on rivals Manchester City. The aftermath of Saturday's game was also consumed by a brewing feud between Arteta and City boss Pep Guardiola.

The Gunners boss played down his comments around having "all the information" on City, which Guardiola took as a dig about the charges facing his side. Here, Mirror Football rounds up all the latest Arsenal news.

Arteta seeks to settle Guardiola feud

Mikel Arteta has attempted to clarify his comments about having "all the information" on Manchester City after Pep Guardiola questioned whether they were related to the Premier League champions' 115 charges.

"I can repeat it very clear, I love Pep, I've admired him since I was 10 years old. I respect him profoundly, I am so grateful for everything he did for me and continues to do for me and I consider him a friend," Arteta said.

"I love and respect all of the staff there because I worked with them for four years and when I said that I know them, I meant I know how hard they work. I haven't see a human being work as hard as Pep and the coaches and everybody in that football club is consistently winning and the reason they are there is because they continue to maintain that hunger."

Read Arteta's full comments here.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Who was man of the match as Arsenal beat Leicester? Comment below.

Leicester boss slams referee

Leicester boss Steve Cooper blamed referee Sam Barrott for his side's defeat to Arsenal. Cooper felt the Gunners were lucky to keep all 11 players on the pitch and insisted the hosts' first goal should be ruled out.

"It was disappointing with the way we concede the goals because they are typical Arsenal goals with the cut-backs, we've done a lot of work trying to deal with that. I don't want to make the headlines around referees," he told Match of the Day.

"I'm trying to take responsibility for a team trying to do better in the Premier League but it's a clear foul on Jamie Vardy for the first goal and [Riccardo Calafiori] has to get sent off for a second yellow but there's so much more we could say, the whole game knows but I'm not going down that road today."

Read Cooper's full rant here.

Arteta admits Arsenal 'worry'

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admits he was left 'worrying' as Arsenal nearly let a win slip through their fingers against Leicester. Having taken a 2-0 lead, the hosts were left to rely on a late own-goal from Wilfred Ndidi to gain them three points.

"I am happier with how we dealt with it - emotionally in control. It was worrying. In theory, we should have never got to this point - but this is football. This is the beauty of football, in relation to other sports," he said.

"It got very emotional. More than we wanted certainly. After 2-0 the result should have been bigger. This is the Premier League. They scored two goals. But I’m really pleased with the way we responded."

Read Arteta's full thoughts here.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

Sky Sports deal

Sky Sports launches 'lowest price' Premier League package
£43 (was £52)

Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £216 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

With Ultra HD included at no extra cost, football fans can enjoy the 2024/25 season with crystal clear picture quality.

Sky
Get the deal here