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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Alex Young

Arsenal: Jamie Carragher convinced Mikel Arteta using Jose Mourinho tactic amid 'cheating' accusation

Jamie Carragher is convinced Arsenal are instructing David Raya to waste time to close out game, in a tactic that has been described as "cheating".

The fallout from Sunday's 2-2 draw between Manchester City and Arsenal has focused on the Gunners' tactics after going down to 10 men following Leandro Trossard's sending-off.

The likes of Bernardo Silva, Manuel Akanji, Kyle Walker and John Stones have all come out to accuse Arsenal players of feigning injury and time wasting, only to see City score with almost the last kick of the game to rescue a point.

Opta data has since confirmed that Arsenal take longer over set-pieces than any other Premier League team, confirming their status as serial time-wasters.

Arsenal have been confirmed as serial time-wasters (REUTERS)

Mikel Arteta hit back at City with a cryptic statement about having "all the information" about City's own tactics, after almost four seasons as Pep Guardiola's assistant, and now Carragher has weighed in.

“[Jose] Mourinho was always ahead of the game in terms of trying to gain an advantage somewhere,” Carragher said on SkyBet‘s The Overlap Fan Debate.

“There’s one thing I do notice Arsenal doing more than anyone. I don’t know if the stats back me up [but] I think the goalkeeper goes down a lot more than other goalkeepers in tense situations.

“The rule is a goalkeeper can’t go off, so that’s definitely one that the coaching staff at Arsenal are more switched on about than anyone else. I see Raya go down in pressure situations.”

Sitting alongside Carragher was former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes, who replied: “Cheating, that’s called isn’t it, Jamie?”

Carragher responded: “It is, but you said it so you can have the headline not me.”

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