Everything Mikel Arteta said in revealing Spanish interview after 'show some class' jibe

Mikel Arteta has slammed Premier League referees for inconsistent decisions despite being urged to “show some class” towards officials by pundit Roy Keane.

A 10-man Arsenal had to settle for a draw at Manchester City after John Stones snatched a 98th-minute equaliser on Sunday. The Gunners initially had turned the game around following an early Erling Haaland strike, taking a 2-1 lead just before half-time thanks to Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes' goals.

But the match dramatically turned in City's favour when Arsenal's Leandro Trossard received his marching orders for a controversial second yellow card. Trossard shoved an opponent before kicking the ball away just a second after the whistle had been blown, leading referee Michael Oliver to brandish yellow for the rarely-enforced action.

The sending off forced Arsenal into a deep block in their own penalty area for the entire second half, where they eventually conceded at the death despite an impressive defensive display. Arteta, who saw his star midfielder Declan Rice sent off for a similar incident against Brighton in August, complained about the lack of consistency from referees post-match.

He argued that City escaped punishment for a similar infringement earlier in the match. And while remaining proud of his players, the Spaniard took the opportunity to criticise the highly-contentious refereeing already on display this season.

Speaking to Spanish broadcaster Telemundo Deportes after the game, the Arsenal manager fumed: "Right now our emotions are a bit mixed because of everything that's happened, but we played in a very complicated context.

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"Playing here against this opponent is already very complicated. To play 55 minutes against this opponent with 10 men is a very difficult task, but I'm very proud of the players."

Commenting on Trossard’s sending off when asked if he would tell his players to be more careful once they have been cautioned in the future, Arteta added: "Well, if the players see other things in the first half and no action is taken... Obviously the player can't react in less than a second which is how long it takes for the action of the whistle when you have it behind you... I don't think that can be taught.

"I'm going to have to rethink my coaching then. Because I think we're going to play 100 Premier League games this year against 10. If our average is two out of five, imagine. [referees should be more] consistent, not permissive. If there is a rule, you have to be consistent. To play differently. But 11 against 10 for sure not."

Arteta had initially refused to discuss Trossard's red card in English interviews with broadcasters such as Sky Sports, stating his thoughts were "that obvious I don't have to comment". His attitude towards the refereeing calls did not sit well with Manchester United legend Keane.

The Sky pundit said: "Managers are coming out every week saying every decision is against them. Just come out and accept it. Deep down he'll be satisfied with a point.

"Show a bit of class, manager of Arsenal. [Say] 'he probably deserved the red card, we reacted well and we move on'. That's the end of it. Take your medicine and move on. Show a bit of class."