Martin Keown slams Roberto De Zerbi’s knee slide celebrations, says Mikel Arteta wouldn't get away with doing it

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown believes that Gunners boss Mikel Arteta would have been criticised if he celebrated with a knee slide like Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi did at the Emirates on Sunday.

Second half goals from Julio Enciso, Dennis Undav and Pervis Estupinan secured a famous 3-0 away victory for the Seagulls to all but end Arsenal's hopes of lifting the Premier League trophy at the end of the season.

With two matches to go, the North London outfit now find themselves four points behind Manchester City who also boast a game in hand.

As for Brighton, De Zerbi's men are sixth with at least one game in hand on the teams around them as they look to secure European football for the first time.

However, while celebrating his side's impressive win, the Italian manager did a knee-slide celebration on the pitch which Keown felt didn't get much attention because Brighton are "everyone's second-favourite team."

Speaking on talkSPORT, the Englishman made the point that had Arteta done the same, there would be uproar given how frequently the Spaniard's antics on the touchline have been criticised this term.

"I honestly feel if Arteta did that down the side of the pitch we'd never hear the end of it," the ex-Arsenal player vented. "But it's okay for De Zerbi to do it? I like that kind of emotion.

"I would say, because it's Brighton who are inoffensive, because it's everyone's second-favourite team, we turn a blind eye to it. "But if that's the Arsenal manager doing that all of a sudden, it's a problem."

😡 “If Arteta did that you’d never hear the end of it, but it’s OK for De Zerbi!?”

😤 “Because it’s #BHAFC, who are sort of inoffensive, we turn a blind eye to it.”

Martin Keown believes De Zerbi’s knee slide celebrations would be criticised if #AFC’s Arteta did the same thing! pic.twitter.com/7yoGHR9SSn

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) May 15, 2023

However, talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan his expressed his disagreement with Keown, labelling his point as 'rubbish', saying: "If you went to Manchester City, and beat City at the Etihad and your manager went down sliding on his knees nobody would say anything.

"If you went to Southampton and did it, they would say, 'what are you on about?'"

Keown then pointed out: "As a goalscorer, you take your shirt off, you get a yellow card. Do you not think that if the manager comes racing onto the pitch, he wasn't just doing it on the sideline, he did it on the pitch, is that not an automatic yellow card?"

Arsenal have secured second place in the Premier League and will be playing Champions League football for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign next term. However, having been eight points clear going into the international break, there will certainly be a feeling that the season could have offered more.