Richard Keys has ‘no problem’ with Arsenal celebrations but queries late winner

Richard Keys says he has “no problem” with Arsenal celebrating victory on this occasion, but did question their late winner against Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Gunners came from 2-0 down at the Emirates to retain their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League, with Reiss Nelson scoring a dramatic 97th-minute winner.

Mikel Arteta, his coaching staff, the players and fans were jubilant after the final whistle, but Keys has said that’s fine this time around after he criticised their celebrations against Fulham.

said back in August: ‘Arsenal over-celebrated their win over Fulham. It was disrespectful to the opposition. And for me – it is a measure of how far they’ve fallen.

“I’m not blaming the fans. I get it. Enjoy your wins. Enjoy your day out – you’ve spent enough on it – but Arteta and his coaching staff went over the top. They were running round like they’d just won the CL.

‘They’d beaten newly-promoted Fulham 2-1. That’s all. Nothing more. Save the drama for a win over Spurs, Liverpool, or a valiant performance against City the likes of which Newcastle gave the previous week.’

But Keys said on beIN SPORTS that the drama of the game on Saturday merited such celebration, though he did question how late in the game Nelson’s winner was scored.

“I’ve no problem with this one because that’s a dramatic way to win a football match, I would ask about the time of the goal as Bournemouth will with 97 minutes played,” Keys said.

“Ninety-six minutes were shown, you can see that in the top corner, we are just approaching the 98th minute when Nelson unloaded that,” his co-host Andy Gray added.

“I think Bournemouth will have reason to say where did you find that time,” Keys responded.

“The referee will have a reason. It was a dramatic afternoon and this is developing, for me, into an Arsenal season and they keep passing every test that they have been set,” Gray said.

“And they keep going at it, They keep winning late and dramatically.

“Not only here but at Aston Villa recently, winning stuffily and not great against Leicester City. “They are answering the questions right now and I said to you when it gets to the last ten games can they hold their nerve?”