Mikel Arteta made a point of praising the officials and VAR as 10-man Arsenal beat Burnley to move level with Premier League leaders Manchester City,

Fabio Vieira was sent off late on for a high challenge on Josh Brownhill, who had earlier cancelled out a brave Leandro Trossard opener.

But Arsenal had already secured the points by the time Vieira was dismissed, William Saliba heading them back in front before Oleksandr Zinchenko secured the points with an acrobatic volley.

Arteta could yet face a Football Association charge after he criticised the officials during a 1-0 loss at Newcastle last week, having been asked to provide his observations having called the winning goal “embarrassing” and a “disgrace.

Here, though, he was keen to play to the gallery and made sure he hammered home his praise of the referees.

“With the red card… yes, VAR was right, he said.

“The referee was right. Really good decision, really positive from Mikel to speak about that! Good decision.”

He later added to talkSPORT: “Please ask me about VAR because today it was good.

“I hope that I’m on TV saying the referees are so good and I’m completely with them and being very constructive.”

Trossard was the difference-maker for the Gunners, the Belgium international once again starting as the central striker and breaking the deadlock with a close-range finish that saw him clatter into Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford and the post.

He recovered to lay on the corner from which Saliba scored and it was another Trossard set-piece that led to Zinchenko’s fine scissor-kick.

“I think he connects everybody. He’s so intelligent,” Arteta said of Trossard.

“I think he moves in ways that attracts people that generates spaces and options for people.

“Today he did that really good because it was so difficult and the spaces were so small to attack. He gave us a lot of threat and possibilities to connect and find spaces for us.

“He put your body on the line if it’s necessary, and that was it. It’s the 1,000th goal at the Emirates – a beautiful number.

“I’m very happy with him. I think every time you ask him to play whether it’s wide or as a nine, it flows and he has a real threat. So I’m really happy with him.”

Burnley could end the weekend bottom of the table after a 10th defeat in 12 league games since their return to the top flight.

But manager Vincent Kompany believes the Clarets continue to show resilience in their battle against the drop.

“We were solid first half. To concede the way we conceded is avoidable. It’s football. Good teams are there for a reason,” he said.

“Our team is as hard working as you like and resilient as you like. The club is filled with good, hard-working people. In the games we’re not expecting to have their level but we want to give ourselves a chance. This team wants to embrace this challenge.”

Oleksandr Zinchenko scored the pick of the goals as 10-man Arsenal secured a comfortable win over Burnley to move level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Mikel Arteta’s side took advantage of rivals Tottenham losing earlier in the day to pick-up a 3-1 victory over struggling Burnley, whose captain Josh Brownhill cancelled out Leandro Trossard’s brave opener at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal reacted well to being pegged back and William Saliba headed them level just three minutes later before Zinchenko’s scissor kick wrapped up the points, although the hosts did lose Fabio Vieira to a late red card.

Despite several injury doubts heading into the game, Arteta made just one alteration as Zinchenko replaced the unfit Ben White in defence as Bukayo Saka was deemed fit enough to start despite limping off in Wednesday’s 2-0 Champions League win over Sevilla.

The England winger had a great effort well saved by James Trafford as Arsenal set their stall out to attack from the off.

They would be frustrated, however, by a Burnley defence already at the stage of throwing themselves in front of shots and making last-ditch blocks before the half-hour mark, Saka time and again finding space and Kai Havertz also drifting in to cause trouble.

Havertz, still without a goal from open play since his £65million move from Chelsea, headed wide a glorious chance from a corner before Burnley threatened for the first time.

A rare mistake from Saliba gifted the ball to Johann Gudmundsson, who raced through on goal to force David Raya into a good, low stop.

Trossard was the next Arsenal player denied by Trafford, his effort from range tipped over the bar after Declan Rice had robbed Brownhill of possession in a dangerous area of the pitch.

The Belgium international was deployed as a central striker once again and gave the hosts the lead with his sixth goal of the campaign, turning home Saka’s header from close-range as he crashed into Trafford and the frame of the goal in the process.

Burnley were level nine minutes after the restart, Brownhill firing home after good work from Luca Koleosho led to the ball breaking for Brownhill, whose finish flashed in off Gabriel Magalhaes.

The goal stood despite a VAR check for a potential foul on Takehiro Tomiyasu but to Arsenal’s credit, they did not let the equaliser play on their minds.

In fact, the goal seemed to stun Arsenal back into life and Gabriel Martinelli broke clear only to fire straight at Trafford.

The lead was restored from the resulting corner as Saliba moved in front of Trafford to rise and head home Trossard’s delivery from close-range.

Zinchenko’s strike came from another Trossard corner as Dara O’Shea first headed the ball against his own crossbar before clearing into the path of the Ukraine captain, who finished acrobatically.

Burnley tried to find a way back into the game and were given some hope when substitute Vieira was dismissed, shown a straight red card by Michael Oliver for a high challenge on Brownhill.

Arsenal, though, saw out the remainder of the contest to join City on 27 points ahead of the champions’ trip to Chelsea on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta has warned Aaron Ramsdale not to rush any decision over his future after England manager Gareth Southgate told the goalkeeper he could not promise him a place at Euro 2024 if he remains on the bench at Arsenal.

Ramsdale has been called up by Southgate for England’s final two qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia and will be aiming to add to his four senior caps.

However, the 25-year-old has been ousted as Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper since the arrival of David Raya from Brentford and has played just twice since the September international break.

Speaking after naming his latest squad, Southgate said of Ramsdale’s plight: “I think longer-term, we’re just going to have to see how it is. I had that conversation with him in the last camp.

“He’s still battling to be the number one at Arsenal, and his profile and the way he can use the ball with his feet, we like, we think that’s important.

“But there is a reality as a keeper, if we get to March and he’s six months without playing regularly, then I’m never going to promise things that I couldn’t guarantee delivering.”

Arteta has not spoken to Ramsdale about the issue but warned against a January move in a quest to find first-team football.

“First of all my door is open to speak about any player,” he said.

“We just want the best for our players and we try to do that, and we know the influence that we can have – sometimes positively, sometimes not so positively, towards them.

“We will always try to do our best to help them, but this is a team sport that needs 24 players that have to fulfil a role. And the role that you have in August, it might be very different to the one you have in March.

“So making early decisions, in my experience, is not something good at all and as well because the team has certain needs that has to be accomplished. And in order to do that you cannot do it with six, 10 or 14 players. It is impossible. So you need everyone and Aaron has a really important role in the team.

“I have no messages for any clubs (who may look to sign Ramsdale). I can talk a little bit about my players, how much I like my players, how much I like Aaron and that we want Aaron with us, that’s for sure.”

Ramsdale is likely to once again be among the substitutes as Arsenal host Burnley on Saturday night looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League.

Arteta, though, could be without as many as eight first-team players for the visit of the Clarets as captain Martin Odegaard is “still racing” to be fit, while Bukayo Saka and Takehiro Tomiyasu both came off injured in Wednesday’s Champions League win over Sevilla.

Forwards Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah could miss out with hamstring and ankle injuries respectively, while Thomas Partey, Emile Smith Rowe and Jurrien Timber are definite absentees.

“Some of the injuries that we had, they are some bad luck, some of them have been long-term injuries with some special players and when we didn’t have a lot of depth,” he added.

“We can talk about the depth, but after you have to talk about the specific positions or certain units where we are a little bit shorter.

“But it is the challenge of the season and other people have to step up, and that as well is a good test for the team – how we take those moments and how we actually respond to that. So far, the team is doing well.”

Mikel Arteta played down concerns over Bukayo Saka’s fitness after he was forced off during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Sevilla in the Champions League.

Saka scored in front of England manager Gareth Southgate to help the Gunners record a third victory in Group B and move within touching distance of the last-16.

Arteta substituted goalscorer Leandro Trossard and the excellent Gabriel Martinelli in the 81st minute but left Saka on and seconds later he went down holding his ankle after landing awkwardly before he limped off.

Arsenal host Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday while Southgate names his England squad for this month’s European Championship qualifiers with North Macedonia and Malta on Thursday, but Arteta suggested his six-goal attacker would be fine despite this latest bruising encounter.

He said: “At the end he wasn’t comfortable to carry on. Hopefully it’s not too much but I’m really pleased with his performance.

“I think he’s getting used to it (being kicked). I don’t think that’s going to change, especially with the way he plays and the way he attracts players, so he better get used to it because I don’t think it’s going to change.

“It was just a kick and I was told by the physios on the radio he wasn’t happy to continue. So he will have some discomfort but hopefully I am going to assume he will be OK.”

After the controversy of last weekend’s loss at Newcastle, where Arteta labelled the decision by VAR to award Anthony Gordon’s winner as “embarrassing”, this was a much-needed routine night for his injury-hit team.

With Eddie Nketiah ruled out with an ankle knock to join Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus on the sidelines, Trossard led the line and broke the deadlock when he finished off a slick move in the 29th minute.

Jorginho unlocked the Sevilla defence with a wonderful through ball to Saka, who squared for Trossard to stroke home his fifth goal of the campaign.

Saka, who was fouled four times inside the opening 17 minutes, made the points safe with a smart finish after 64 minutes.

Martinelli released the England international away on the right and Saka cut inside Adria Pedrosa before he curled into the bottom corner.

Arsenal would have qualified for the knockout stages had Lens been victorious at PSV. But with a four-point gap at the top of Group B, the north London club will almost certainly continue their Champions League adventure in 2024.

Arteta added: “I think it was more of the really good things that we did against Newcastle. We didn’t need a response because the team performed extraordinarily well against a team that are really difficult to play against.

“Today it needed other requirements, tactically we needed something else and we implemented what we wanted really, really well, so I’m really happy with the last two performances.”

On top of worries over Saka, Takehiro Tomiyasu was also taken off during the interval.

“He had some discomfort in the first half,” Arteta said of the defender.

“We didn’t want to take any risks because he’s played a lot of minutes. With Alex (Oleksandr Zinchenko) on the bench ready to come in, I think it was the right decision.”

On Odegaard (hip) and Nketiah (ankle), Arteta added: “They are racing against the clock to be fit.

“They tried their best to be here today with us, it wasn’t possible and we have another 48 hours before we play Burnley. We’ll try again and see because we need players at the moment.”

Sevilla only managed their first shot on target in the seventh minute of stoppage time and suffered a second group defeat.

Boss Diego Alonso admitted: “We weren’t able to put in the performance we wanted to.

“Our opponents were better than us and did well. Our aim was to win the ball high up the pitch, but we were very far away from their area. That is my assessment.”

Arsenal took a huge step towards qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Champions League as Bukayo Saka starred in victory over Sevilla before limping off late on.

Saka set up the opening goal for Leandro Trossard before scoring the second himself as the Gunners secured a straightforward 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium that leaves them on the cusp of the last 16.

Mikel Arteta opted to play Trossard through the middle as his central striker with Eddie Nketiah joining Gabriel Jesus in the treatment room, with the Belgium forward the only change from Saturday’s contentious defeat at Newcastle.

There was not such drama here although four early fouls on Saka went unpunished as both Nemanja Gudelj and Kike Salas left their mark on the England international.

Kai Havertz, without a goal from open play since his £65million summer move from Chelsea, fluffed his lines with an early headed chance, but Arsenal set out their intent from the off.

Saka went down again under close contact from Salas, but this time Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs was unmoved as the hosts wanted a penalty.

Just moments later, however, and the deadlock was broken. The lively Saka unsurprisingly laying on the assist for Trossard to tap home – but Jorginho was the architect with a slide-rule pass to start the move.

It proved to be the only shot on target of a forgettable first half as Sevilla, without a LaLiga or Champions League win under head coach Diego Alonso since his appointment last month.

Havertz bent an effort inches wide as Arsenal went in search of a second after the break and Trossard should have done better soon after, but curled his strike the wrong side of the post.

It was Saka, though, who made the difference once again, beating the offside trap to race onto a Gabriel Martinelli pass before cutting inside Adria Pedrosa and tucking home with aplomb.

Gabriel Jesus had provided the goal and assist that ultimately saw off Sevilla in Spain a fortnight ago, but he was injured during the game and has not played since.

The same went for Saka here, who fell awkwardly and limped off with five minutes to go, with England manager Gareth Southgate – who announces his next squad on Thursday – watching from the stands.

Arteta had said on the eve of the game that Arsenal should “put to bed” qualification for the last 16 with two games to spare and his players did their bit.

But PSV Eindhoven’s win over Lens leaves Group B open, although a draw against the Ligue 1 side at the Emirates Stadium in three weeks time would be enough for Arteta’s side to advance.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has stood by both the club’s and his own criticism of Premier League officiating after Arsenal’s loss at Newcastle on Saturday as the Football Association asked for observations following the condemnation of referees.

The Gunners lost 1-0 at St James’ Park – their first Premier League defeat of the campaign – as Anthony Gordon scored a controversial winner for the hosts.

The second-half goal was checked for three separate VAR offences – the ball going out of play, a foul by Joelinton on Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes and a potential offside – but survived them all to ultimately earn Newcastle the three points.

Speaking after the defeat, Arteta said it was “embarrassing” and a “disgrace” that the goal stood, while Arsenal issued a statement on Sunday in support of their manager’s forthright views.

However, the PA news agency understands Arteta and Arsenal could now be charged by the FA after the governing body wrote to both manager and club asking for their observations on the matter.

The club have three business days to respond to the request before the FA makes its decision on whether to take no further action, remind Arsenal of their responsibilities, give out a formal warning or issue a charge.

Arsenal could fall foul of breaching Rule E3.1 of the FA code, relating to media comments, but there is no specific punishment if they are found guilty.

Asked before news of the FA getting in touch if he would have done anything differently, Arteta replied: “It is my duty to stand in front of you, to stand in front of the cameras, and give a very clear and honest assessment of what happened in the game.

“And this is what I did, reflect very openly on how I felt that the team played and how the game was conditioned by this results with the decisions that were made. It is the duty.

“My duty is to be defending my players, supporting my players, supporting my club, defending my people in the best possible way and this is what I am going to do time after time.

“I do it, not the way I feel, (but) with the evidence and being as clear as possible. And I always do it, when we play real I need to say it, when we have lost, to take my responsibility, the first one is me to do it. It is the way that I am and I have to defend my club.”

Arteta suggested it is the duty of managers to discuss VAR and the issues it is currently presenting within the game.

“If you guys and everyone watching football are there, we have to give our opinion in an honest way and clear,” he added.

“Don’t talk about other things. Be very clear and respectful, but clear and honest and value what we have.

“Errors are part of evolution. The trajectory is never going to be like this (gestures straight up), there are always going to be bumps in the road and these things are necessary to improve the game in the right way.

“But we have to talk loudly. If you have a problem and you put it in your drawer, the problem is in the drawer and it’s going to stink at some point. If you have a problem, let’s talk about it, try to improve it. That’s what we are trying to do. Nothing else.”

Arsenal’s statement claimed “yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors” occurred during the loss at Newcastle as the club “wholeheartedly supports” Arteta’s comments, stating players, coaches and supporters “deserve better”.

The statement has been criticised in some quarters with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville labelling it “dangerous”.

Arteta, though, believes it does not legitimise those who abuse referees for perceived poor decision-making against the club.

“No, the support we have given to everybody is not going to change. I will be in meetings trying to reinforce that,” he said.

“This is not the topic. Everyone wants the same thing, but we have to understand that we (managers) have to be there.

“We have a duty to express how we feel with all the evidence we have and the history of what happened.

“We have to stand for our people, our values and who we are. When the club has done it, it’s been in very specific moments for the right reasons.

“It shows the unity and understanding that is within the club to position ourselves in a really clear and honest way. That’s our duty as a club.”

Arteta was speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Sevilla, where victory on Wednesday night could see his side qualify for the knockout stages with two Group B games to go.

“The moment you have a chance in football to put it to bed, do it,” he said of wrapping up qualification early.

“We have to do a lot of things right tomorrow to earn the right to win it and against a really good team with enormous experience in this competition.

“We have to prove it tomorrow in front of our people how excited we are to play that game and what it means for us.”

Mikel Arteta has stood by his VAR outburst following Arsenal’s loss at Newcastle on Saturday and insists he will continue to “talk loudly” until he believes the situation improves.

The Gunners lost 1-0 at St James’ Park on Saturday – their first Premier League defeat of the campaign – as Anthony Gordon scored a controversial winner for the hosts.

The second-half goal was checked for three separate VAR offences – the ball going out of play, a foul by Joelinton on Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes and a potential offside – but survived them all to ultimately earn Newcastle the three points.

Speaking after the defeat, Arteta said it was “embarrassing” and a “disgrace” that the goal stood – while Arsenal issued a statement on Sunday in support of their manager’s forthright views.

Asked on Tuesday if he would have done anything differently, the Spaniard replied: “It is my duty to stand in front of you, to stand in front of the cameras, and give a very clear and honest assessment of what happened in the game.

“And this is what I did, reflect very openly on how I felt that the team played and how the game was conditioned by this results with the decisions that were made. It is the duty.

“My duty is to be defending my players, supporting my players, supporting my club, defending my people in the best possibly way and this is what I am going to time after time.

“I do it, not the way I feel, (but) with the evidence and being as clear as possible. And I always do it, when we play real I need to say it, when we have lost, to take my responsibility, the first one is me to do it. It is the way that I am and I have to defend my club.”

Arteta suggested it is the duty of managers to discuss VAR and the issues it is currently presenting within the game.

“If you guys and everyone watching football are there, we have to give our opinion in an honest way and clear,” he added.

“Don’t talk about other things. Be very clear and respectful, but clear and honest and value what we have.

“Errors are part of evolution. The trajectory is never going to be like this (gestures straight up), there are always going to bumps in the road and these things are necessary to improve the game in the right way.

“But we have to talk loudly. If you have a problem and you put it in your draw, the problem is in the draw and it’s going to stink at some point. If you have a problem, let’s talk about it, try to improve it. That’s what we are trying to do. Nothing else.”

Arsenal’s statement claimed “yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors” occurred during the loss at Newcastle as the club “wholeheartedly supports” Arteta’s comments, stating players, coaches and supporters “deserve better”.

The statement has been criticised in some quarters with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville labelling it “dangerous”.

Arteta, though, believes it does not legitimise those who abuse referees for perceived poor decision-making against the club.

“No, the support we have given to everybody is not going to change. I will be in meetings trying to reinforce that,” he said.

“This is not the topic. Everyone wants the same thing, but we have to understand that we (managers) have to be there.

“We have a duty to express how we feel with all the evidence we have and the history of what happened.

“We have to stand for our people, our values and who we are. When the club has done it, it’s been in very specific moments for the right reasons.

“It shows the unity and understanding that is within the club to position ourselves in a really clear and honest way. That’s our duty as a club.”

Arteta was speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Sevilla, where victory on Wednesday night could see his side qualify for the knockout stages with two Group B games to go.

“The moment you have a chance in football to put it to bed, do it,” he said of wrapping up qualification early.

“We have to do a lot of things right tomorrow to earn the right to win it and against a really good team with enormous experience in this competition.

“We have to prove it tomorrow in front of our people how excited we are to play that game and what it means for us.”

Sergio Ramos admits the appeal of Champions League football only added to the lure of an emotional return to Sevilla and is hoping injury will not rule him out of Wednesday’s trip to Arsenal.

The 37-year-old won the competition four times during a trophy-laden spell at Real Madrid but is now back at his boyhood club following a stint with Paris St Germain.

The former Spain centre-back is currently struggling with a calf injury and could miss Sevilla’s crucial Group B clash away to Arsenal.

Defeat for the reigning Europa League champions would leave their chances of progression into the Champions League knockout stages on a knife-edge with two games remaining.

Ramos will no doubt be desperate to feature and help keep Sevilla’s ambitions alive after making the “passionate” decision to return to Sevilla after an 18-year absence.

“I had received offers of going abroad, to Saudi Arabia, for instance – but this was a debt I had to my club, to Sevilla, the first team where I triumphed,” he said.

“This is also a personal debt towards my family, my parents, my grandparents – it’s very emotional, very passionate to me. This was a very personal decision, a decision made with the heart.

“The Champions League is something that everybody knows what it means, especially personally to me, when making a decision the Champions League is an important competition.

“Sevilla were playing in the Champions League and that was a plus in making such a decision.

“Arsenal are a consolidated team with young players with a well-defined style of play. They know what they play, and we know it will be a very very difficult game.

“Winning? Well, we know that Arsenal are an amazing team. But of course, the team will go there with the intention of taking the win, the three points home.

“We know how difficult it can be, but we will try to play a serious game, very concentrated to try to make sure that they don’t have a lot of opportunities and we take advantage of the ones we have.”

Asked about his fitness ahead of Saturday’s 1-1 LaLiga draw against Celta Vigo a match the World Cup winner was not involved in – Ramos replied: “Let’s take it one day at a time.

“It is true it’s not a big injury, it is a minor injury. I hope to be able to play the game but I don’t know whether it might come too soon.

“Let’s just take it one day at a time and let’s see how I’m able to evolve and hopefully, I would love to play.”

Arsenal sit top of the group after a 2-1 win in Spain a fortnight ago but Mikel Arteta’s side have lost two of their three domestic games since.

Despite a small blip, Ramos has been impressed with the progress made by the Gunners in recent times and is a particular fan of captain Martin Odegaard, who he spent time with as a team-mate in Madrid.

“We see what kind of style of play they have, they were almost Premier League champions last year, one of the most important competitions in the world,” he added.

“Regardless of the great group – it’s very well balanced. I would maybe refer to Martin Odegaard (as a key player) – his role, he’s very participative, very involved – even if he’s the first one to receive the ball.

“Jorginho, Gabriel Jesus too, I think that their structure is clear and they know what they play. But I would refer to those three names first – Jesus, Jorginho and Martin Odegaard.”

Arsenal have called for refereeing standards to be addressed and thrown their support behind manager Mikel Arteta’s after he branded the VAR decision not to rule out Anthony Gordon’s match-winner at Newcastle “an absolute disgrace”.

The Premier League club issued a statement on Sunday, saying they “wholeheartedly support” Arteta’s post-match comments after “yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors”.

Gordon’s controversial goal secured a 1-0 victory for Newcastle and ended Arsenal’s 10-game unbeaten Premier League start.

“Arsenal Football Club wholeheartedly supports Mikel Arteta’s post-match comments after yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors on Saturday evening,” read a club statement.

“We’d also like to acknowledge the huge effort and performance from our players and travelling supporters at St James’ Park.

“The Premier League is the best league in the world with the best players, coaches and supporters, all of whom deserve better.

“PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) urgently needs to address the standard of officiating and focus on action which moves us all on from retrospective analysis, attempted explanations and apologies.

“We support the ongoing efforts of chief refereeing officer Howard Webb and would welcome working together to achieve the world-class officiating standards our league demands.”

Arteta failed to hide his anger at St James’ Park after referee Stuart Attwell awarded the Newcastle goal following a triple VAR check to see whether the ball had gone out of play before Joe Willock’s cross, whether Joelinton had fouled Arsenal defender Gabriel and whether Gordon had been offside.

Mikel Arteta insists there is no point comparing the modern Premier League to past seasons as the Arsenal boss claims the quality at the top is “unprecedented”.

The Gunners travel to Newcastle on Saturday evening knowing victory could move them to the summit, with leaders Tottenham not in action until Monday.

Just four points separate the current top five, with former Arsenal head coach Unai Emery’s Aston Villa continuing to keep pace with more established sides such as Liverpool and reigning champions Manchester City.

Newcastle sit sixth, but have not lost in the league since September 2 as the pool of teams competing for the major honours continues to grow.

“What has happened in the last five years is unprecedented,” Arteta said on the eve of taking his side to St James’ Park.

“It never happened with the amount of points and level of the teams. Now it’s the amount of teams with that level that is increasing and increasing.

“That’s why comparing to the past in this league is a waste of time. It’s very different to what it used to be, and that puts the demands of what we do every single day in a different scope.”

Arsenal remain unbeaten in the league, but suffered a 3-1 loss at West Ham in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup in midweek.

Captain Martin Odegaard came off the bench late on to score a consolation goal as he aims to overcoming a nagging hip complaint.

“We have tried to offload him a little bit because he had a little issue that he was grumbling with,” Arteta explained.

“He felt much better in the last few days, and we gave a few minutes against West Ham which was good to see, and his contribution was really good – if he’s fine he will be ready.”

Meanwhile, Arteta hinted defender Ben White could be the next of his key players to sign a new deal at the Emirates Stadium.

White will make his 100th appearance for Arsenal on Saturday having joined from Brighton in 2021 and Arteta is pleased with how the 26-year-old has developed under his tenure.

“We are always trying to keep the squad in a healthy position in any way, and the club and Edu especially are working on that,” he replied when asked about a potential new contract for White.

“I think he’s progressed in the right way in the last few years. He had a little bit of a difficult start, which is normal because it was a big jump with different expectations.

“He started to play as well in certain different positions, but I think he’s shown a lot of determination and courage to overcome that.

“I think he has a big personality, I think he copes with pressure really well, he has a lot of quality, he gives us different positions and he’s been a key player for us.

“He’s a really good character in his own way and the way he is, the way he presents himself, but he loves football. The way he trains every day, the way he applies himself is top and we need players like him.”

Manchester United’s woes continued as their defence of the Carabao Cup ended with a 3-0 loss to Newcastle at Old Trafford.

The fourth-round rematch between last season’s finalists saw Newcastle strike twice in the first half through Miguel Almiron and Lewis Hall.

Joe Willock then added a third just past the hour mark as Erik ten Hag’s side slumped to an eighth defeat in all competitions this season, and second 3-0 reverse at home in four days following Sunday’s loss to Manchester City.

Arsenal were also eliminated, going down 3-1 at West Ham as Declan Rice returned to the London Stadium.

An early Ben White own-goal put the Hammers in front and finishes from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen followed after the break before Martin Odegaard scored a consolation goal for the Gunners in stoppage time.

Liverpool advanced to the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win at Bournemouth sealed by substitute Darwin Nunez’s stunning strike.

The Uruguayan fired in what proved the winner in the 70th minute, six minutes after Justin Kluivert’s first Bournemouth goal had cancelled out Cody Gakpo’s first-half opener.

Chelsea beat Blackburn 2-0 at Stamford Bridge courtesy of goals in either half from Benoit Badiashile and Raheem Sterling.

Everton boss Sean Dyche saw his side beat his old club Burnley 3-0 at Goodison Park, with ex-Claret James Tarkowski, Amadou Onana and Ashley Young getting on the scoresheet.

Fulham won 3-1 at Championship high-fliers Ipswich. Harry Wilson, Muniz and Tom Cairney put the Cottagers three goals up before Elkan Baggott reduced the deficit late on.

Mikel Arteta took the blame for Arsenal’s painful 3-1 Carabao Cup defeat at West Ham.

Arteta made six changes to his line-up for the fourth-round clash, starting with Declan Rice on the bench on his Hammers homecoming.

Rice, who lifted the Europa Conference League trophy as West Ham captain last season, was back at his old club for the first time since his £105million switch to the Gunners.

But he will not be getting his hands on the Carabao Cup this season after strikes from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, following an early own goal by Ben White, sent the north Londoners crashing out.

“I’m very disappointed,” said Gunners boss Arteta. “I’m responsible for that, we’re out of the cup, we wanted to play a very different game and compete.

“The game took a direction because of the first goal but we have to see much more from the team and earn the right to win.

“I’m disappointed with myself. We wanted to play in a different way and we weren’t able to do that. Every time we lose the pain is there.

“We have to use this pain and this defeat to prepare the best way for Newcastle on Saturday.”

West Ham took the lead after 15 minutes when Bowen’s corner was inadvertently headed past Aaron Ramsdale by White at the near post.

The second goal arrived in the 50th minute when Ghana winger Kudus collected a long ball into the box from Nayef Aguerd, skipped past Oleksandr Zinchenko and rifled a low shot through the legs of Gabriel and into the net.

Rice was the only goalscorer the last time West Ham beat Arsenal, in the Premier League in 2019.

“You should have signed for a big club” was the mischievous chant aimed at the 24-year-old when he came out to warm up.

Much of the build-up to the match centred around the reception the England midfielder would receive and when he was sent on in the 56th minute the boos were quickly drowned out by a standing ovation from most of the home fans.

But, before Rice had a chance to get into the game, West Ham had a third after Bowen collected White’s headed clearance and lashed it past Ramsdale via a deflection off Jakub Kiwior.

Martin Odegaard scored a consolation goal with the last kick but it was West Ham’s night as they marched into the quarter-finals.

“It was a really good solid team performance. The forward players did a really good job and for long periods we were good defensively. For most of it we coped well,” said boss David Moyes.

“Maybe we are becoming quite a good cup team. I want to be a really good league team if I can be but if I can’t quite do that then we have to do well in the cups if we can.

“We have only won against Arsenal, we don’t get trophies for that.”

West Ham welcomed Declan Rice back to the London Stadium and then promptly sent him and Arsenal packing on the end of a 3-1 Carabao Cup defeat.

Rice, who lifted the Europa Conference League trophy as Hammers captain last season, was back at his old club for the first time since his £105million switch to the Gunners.

But he will not be getting his hands on the Carabao Cup this season after strikes from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, following an early own goal by Ben White, sent the north Londoners crashing out.

Rice started on the bench as Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta made six changes to his line-up for the fourth-round clash and the most of the damage was done by the time he was called upon.

West Ham took the lead after 15 minutes when Bowen’s corner was inadvertently headed past Aaron Ramsdale by White at the near post.

Gunners keeper Ramsdale, making his first appearance since the win at Brentford in the previous round, complained that Tomas Soucek had a hold of his shirt as the ball came over and he probably had a case but, with no VAR in operation, the goal stood.

White attempted to make amends but unfortunately for Arsenal his header at the other end was not quite as accurate and Lukasz Fabianski tipped it over the crossbar, with Eddie Nketiah heading the resulting corner wide.

After the break, Ramsdale made a fine save to deny Bowen, who was sent through by Lucas Paqueta, with White completing the clearance on the goal-line.

But the second goal arrived in the 50th minute when Ghana winger Kudus collected a long ball into the box from Nayef Aguerd, skipped past Oleksandr Zinchenko and rifled a low shot through the legs of Gabriel and into the net.

Rice was the only goalscorer the last time West Ham beat Arsenal, in the Premier League in 2019.

“You should have signed for a big club” was the mischievous chant aimed at the 24-year-old when he came out to warm up.

Much of the build-up to the match centred around the reception the England midfielder would receive and when he was sent on in the 56th minute the boos were quickly drowned out by a standing ovation from most of the home fans.

But, before Rice had a chance to get into the game, West Ham had a third after Bowen collected White’s headed clearance and lashed it past Ramsdale via a deflection off Jakub Kiwior.

Martin Odegaard scored a consolation goal with the last kick but it was West Ham’s night as they marched into the quarter-finals.

Mikel Arteta believes Declan Rice’s potential return to West Ham will be “beautiful” – if the Arsenal manager decides to play the midfielder in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash.

The 24-year-old England international moved across London in the summer, the Gunners paying a club-record £105million to prise him away from the Hammers.

Rice, who captained West Ham to victory in the Europa Conference League final in the last of his 245 games for the club he joined at the age of 14, could be in line for his first return to east London having shone in the opening months of his fledgling Arsenal career.

“It will be his first time back at his old club and a beautiful moment for him, I think,” Arteta said on the eve of the fourth-round tie.

“I think it is beautiful. I had a chance to do it a few times and then you really see what they think of you and what you left at the club.”

Arteta feels Rice will receive a warm welcome from the West Ham fans, adding: “Every time you hear him talk about West Ham and what they did for him and everybody at the club, he cannot talk any higher of them, so hopefully they will be the same way towards him.”

While Arteta suggested it was “likely” Rice would be involved in the game in some way, he was rested entirely for the 1-0 win at Brentford in the previous round.

The Spaniard made a total of eight changes for the victory in west London but insists the Carabao Cup – which he won twice as a coach at Manchester City – is still a major honour.

“It’s a competition that we have the chance to progress and win a trophy and our mindset has to be focused on West Ham,” he said.

“I live it exactly the same as the Premier League (on Wednesday). I have the same thing in my tummy and the certain thing and same way to prepare and I’m going to be there, closer to the game, and I just want to win the game for sure.

“Even if you are doing rotations, I think the role of the players that are now committed to challenge for this trophy or for this game, I think it’s critical for them to show what they can do.”

Gabriel Jesus will not feature despite Arteta revealing the striker is “already pushing” to return from a hamstring injury suffered in a Champions League win at Sevilla last week.

Captain Martin Odegaard is again likely to be rested as he recovers from a hip complaint, while Arteta admitted to “concerns” over Thomas Partey’s most recent setback.

The Ghana midfielder missed just seven games in five years at Atletico Madrid but has been plagued with issues since joining Arsenal in 2020 – sitting out 53 fixtures for club and country in that time.

“I think that he will be out for weeks,” Arteta said of Partey’s latest injury.

“It is a big concern because, when Thomas is fit and available and he’s been part of the team, we have seen what the results and the impact that he has on the team.

“This season we have more protection, especially for that reason as well because we know in the past two seasons what has happened and the impact that it had on the team, so we had to address that.”

Mikel Arteta hailed “top-level” Eddie Nketiah after the England striker hit a first Premier League hat-trick in a convincing 5-0 win over bottom club Sheffield United.

Nketiah scored the first three goals as the Gunners ran out comfortable victors, with Fabio Vieira’s penalty and Takehiro Tomiyasu’s first goal for the club completing the rout.

The victory took Arsenal up to second place, two points behind leaders and north London rivals Tottenham as Arteta’s men remain unbeaten after 10 league games.

With Gabriel Jesus facing a few weeks out with a hamstring issue, Nketiah has once again been tasked with filling his boots at centre-forward.

His touch and finish for the opening goal proved he can do the job as the England international set the Gunners on their way to a victory over the rock bottom Blades.

He doubled the lead after half-time and rifled home a memorable third – before ending the game with the captain’s armband.

“For me, he’s top-level,” Arteta said after the win.

“He has started eight out of the 10 Premier League games. So that tells you how much we trust him, how much I trust him and and the importance that he has in the team.

“I’m really happy for him, an academy player to experience in the Premier League a hat-trick. He needs to enjoy the moment. He fully deserves it and hopefully there are many more to come.

“He’s got an eye for goal. You look at the stats from his last 10 years. What he’s done is remarkable and he needs minutes, opportunities and service and if he gets that, Eddie is going to score goals, that’s for sure.”

Arsenal are yet to suffer a league defeat this season but Arteta revealed he gave his players an “alert” in training this week after some tough fixtures either side of the October international break.

“They took the game in a really serious way because I gave them on Thursday a big alert because of the context and the difference in the game that we have to play today with the previous Man City,
Chelsea and Sevilla games and I’m really happy how they approached it.

“Obviously they come from the national team, so we beat City, we come from national team, we have to go to Stamford Bridge and we did what we did in Stamford Bridge.

“Then you have to go to Seville and that’s a really really stressful week with what they were experiencing in the last few weeks as well.”

Sheffield United remain bottom and with just one point from their opening nine games.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side are also struggling with injuries – but he was not ready to use that as an excuse for a bad day at the office.

“Arsenal had a lot of the ball first half but Wes (Foderingham) had one save to make,” he said.

“Second half, the goals were really poor that we conceded and probably a reflection of how I thought the game was – they outfought us as well as outplayed us in the first half and that is what good teams can do.

“We are down to the bare bones and missing some big personalities and physicality.”