Arteta rejects ‘ugly’ jibes and says Arsenal set pieces are a “beautiful game” | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta has defended Arsenal's set-piece reliance and has called it 'a beautiful game to play'.

Arsenal extended their lead at the top of thePremier League with a 2-1 win against Chelsea on Sunday.

Both goals came from corner kicks, as Arsenal improved their record as the Premier League's best set-piece team. William Saliba put Arsenal ahead after Gabriel nodded a corner kick back across goal, before Jurrien Timber met Declan Rice's corner delivery to score the second.

Arsenal have now scored 16 goals from corners in thePremier League this season, equalling the record for a single season. It continues the trend for teams prioritising set pieces, with increased numbers of dead-ball goals and long throw routines.

The North Londoners have been accused of being 'ugly' in their quest for the Premier League title, but Arteta has refuted those claims. Speaking to the media after the win at Chelsea, Arteta insisted there is beauty in succeeding from set pieces.

"It's not ugly, you have to play the game that is there for you to play, and against Chelsea, you know exactly the game you're going to play.

"For me, it's a beautiful game to play because there is so much quality and you have to adapt so much to what they do, and they have to do the same against us, so the margins are very, very small, and the duels at the end decide these kind of games."

Arteta's comments came after criticism fromBBC pundit Chris Sutton. The former Blackburn Rovers title winner claimed Arsenal might be 'the ugliest Premier League-winning team in history' after their win over Chelsea.

"Set-piece Arsenal, again. I think they are going to win it," Sutton said.

"If they get over the line – will they be the ugliest Premier League-winning team in history? The performance wasn't there."