An angry Mikel Arteta refused to discuss Arsenal's defeat to Tottenham on Thursday evening because he "doesn't want to get suspended for six months" for sharing his thoughts.
The Gunners were hammered 3-0 by Spurs thanks to a brace from Harry Kane and a strike from Son Heung-min. Arsenal remain in fourth, yet Tottenham are now just one point behind them. Both teams have two Premier League fixtures remaining.
"If I say what I think I am suspended six months [by the FA]," Arteta told Sky Sports at full-time, drawing comparisons with Jose Mourinho's famous and similar quotes. "I am allowed to give my interpretation of what I thought, but I do not like to lie. I cannot say what I think, I will be suspended. I am so proud of my players.
"Ask the referee to come here and explain his decisions. That's his decision. Such a beautiful game was destroyed here." Mourinho, who was Chelsea boss at the time, said after an Aston Villa defeat: "I prefer not to speak. If I speak, I am in big trouble."
Tottenham took the lead early on after Cedric Soares clattered into Son to concede a penalty. Kane converted from 12 yards and complete his brace 15 minutes later, finishing from close range. Son's goal came just seconds after the interval.
Arsenal's hopes of winning the North London Derby were dashed when Rob Holding was sent off in the 33rd minute for picking up two yellow cards. Both were awarded for fouls on Son, who had the Englishman under his spell from the outset.
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On referee Paul Tierney's decision to dismiss Holding, Arteta added: "The decision is made. I cannot change it. The referee has to make the decision and react in football."
Arsenal's final Premier League fixtures are against Newcastle at St James' Park and Everton at the Emirates. Tottenham, meanwhile, will host Burnley and travel to Carrow Road to play Norwich. "We have two games to play, each of us, it's in our hands and now we have to do our job," added Arteta.
The Spaniard decided against introducing Ben White - who has just returned from a hamstring injury - after Holding's dismissal, playing much of the game with only one centre-back. "To take the risk in the situation didn't make any sense," said Arteta when asked about his decision. "Now we focus on Newcastle. That's our focus. This game is history."
Arteta will now be without Holding for the trip to Newcastle and Gabriel could also miss the game after picking up a hamstring injury. "[Gabriel] felt something, hopefully he will be fit for Monday, and hopefully we can recover Gabi as obviously we don't have enough players in the back," said the Gunners boss.
On the psychological impact of their heavy defeat, Arteta said: "This game is history for us. Now it is Newcastle. We know how it went out of our hands and we accept it. Now we go to Newcastle and be the team you saw right from the beginning in this stadium."
On whether his players are flat, the Spaniard claimed: "We lost a football match in the conditions that we lost, it's painful but that pain cannot be sustained as we have a huge match on Monday. Now I talk about the excitement of playing Newcastle."
