Arsenal star takes aim at Gary Neville with cheeky dig Man Utd hero will accept

Arsenal defeated Fulham on Saturday evening thanks to a set-piece goal despite criticism from pundits such as Gary Neville about their approach

Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard has taken a playful swipe at Gary Neville after netting the winner against Fulham on Saturday evening. The Gunners had failed to triumph at Craven Cottage in their previous two visits.

However, the Belgian’s finish at the far post secured victory for Mikel Arteta’s men and guaranteed they would remain top of the table regardless of the result in Sunday afternoon’s clash between Liverpool and Manchester United. Arteta’s squad has earned a formidable reputation for its set-piece prowess in recent seasons and is widely regarded as the most effective team in the Premier League, if not Europe, in both attack and defence.

Yet this success has attracted criticism. The north London outfit were accused of placing excessive emphasis on that aspect of their play last season, as Liverpool stormed to Premier League glory.

Meanwhile, United legend Neville was among those who questioned the Gunners’ tactics last term – although he did recognise their injury problems at the time. He believed that Arsenal had grown overly dependent on set-pieces during their title race with Liverpool.

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Arsenal surrendered points against West Ham United, squandering a crucial chance to narrow the deficit to Arne Slot’s eventual champions. The Sky Sports pundit said at the time: “Questions will start to be asked, because it was that type of season where you think it was up for grabs. Arne Slot has come in as the new manager, [Jurgen] Klopp’s left.

“I certainly felt there would be a drop-off at Liverpool, but Slot has been such a cool customer from day one. He’s in complete control.

“Arsenal have become quite rigid, they’ve become quite turgid at times to watch. This obsession with set-pieces, which was overtaking their whole game – exacerbated by this presence of their set-piece coach on the touchline which puts more focus on set-pieces. It’s like… no. The freedom’s gone a little bit from them.

“I know that they’ve lost Saka, and I know that they’ve lost Jesus, and I know they’ve lost Havertz, which are big blows. I mean, let’s be clear, that is a big problem for Arsenal… But I still think you’ve got to do that job yesterday against West Ham at home.”

Neville would be proven right by his comments with the Premier League title ending up at Anfield, though it’s clear Arsenal stars have not forgotten that criticism. Following his match-winning goal against Marco Silva’s team, Trossard quickly took to social media with a cheeky response to his critics, posting: “Everyone loves a good set-piece, right? [winking emoji].”

Arsenal’s title rivals Liverpool face United at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, with the Reds aiming to halt their three-match winless streak.

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