Richard Keys claims Mikel Arteta is to blame for unsavoury end to fiery North London derby

Mikel Arteta has sensationally been blamed by Richard Keys for the savoury scenes at the end of the fiery North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

In what was a must-win match for both sides, it was Arsenal who came out on top as a howler by Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris plus a beautiful long-range effort by Martin Odegaard sealed a 2-0 victory for the Gunners.

The match was marred by some ugly scenes after the final whistle.

Richarlison was seen pushing and shoving Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale at the end of the match. A fan then appeared to kick out at the England international as he walked to collect his water bottle.

However, according to Keys, Arteta was to blame for the incident.

He said on beIN Sports: “Ramsdale has got form of winding supporters up and has apparently been having an exchange during the course of that second half with those Tottenham fans, Ben White as well who was over there.

“My fear is and I’ve said it for a long time now that the guy in the middle there is the one that is most to blame for the inflammatory behaviour that winds people up.

“If he is not behaving himself then is likely that others in his team are not going to either, who ultimately becomes the master of discipline? There isn’t anyone.”

During his post-match interview, Ramsdale spoke about the incident at the end of the contest.

He said: “The Spurs fans gave me some throughout the game. I was giving some back. The people I did give it to greeted it in sportsmanlike terms but one fan tried to give me a little punch on the back.

“It is a shame as it is just a game of football at the end of the day. Both sets of players tried to bring me away but thankfully nothing too drastic happened. It is a sour taste but I’m sure we will enjoy it when we go back into the dressing room.”

As a result of their brilliant derby victory, Arsenal have now stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points.

Can anyone stop the Gunners from winning their first league title since the 03/04 season? Only time will tell.