Antonio Conte Advises Mikel Arteta To Stop Complaining About Refs And Focus On Arsenal

Antonio Conte had some words of advice for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after Tottenham's 3-0 win in Thursday's north London derby.

Spurs thrashed Arsenal courtesy of two Harry Kane goals and one from Son Heung-min to move to within one point of their rivals in the Premier League table.

Kane's opener came from a penalty awarded against Cedric Soares, after he was adjudged to have fouled Son.

With the score 1-0, Arsenal were reduced to 10 men when Rob Holding picked up his second yellow card for his fourth foul on Son inside the opening 33 minutes.

Arteta declared himself happy with his team after the match, but refused to give his opinion on the penalty or red card decisions because: "If I say what I think, I'm suspended six months...

He added: "I don't know how to lie, and I don't like lying, so I prefer not to say what I think."

Mikel Arteta pictured during his Arsenal team's 3-0 defeat at Tottenham

IMAGO/PRiME Media Images/Andy Rowland

But Arteta made his point. He was blaming referee Paul Tierney for Arsenal's heaviest loss to Tottenham in Premier League history.

Conte spoke to the media after Arteta and was asked about the Spaniard's interview.

In his reply, Conte praised Arteta's credentials as a manager but told him to stop complaining and to focus on his team.

"I think that Mikel Arteta is a really good coach," Conte told football.london.

"He's just started to do this job and I think that I hear him complain a lot. I think that he needs to be focused more on his team and not to complain.

"Because he has just started his work and I think he has to be calm and to try to continue to work. Because he's very good but to listen to a coach complain a lot is not good.

"But it's ok, the red card for me it was clear."

Conte then referenced an incident from Tottenham's 1-1 draw with Liverpool last week involving Fabinho, who was arguably lucky to escape a red card for elbowing Son.

The Spurs boss had not mentioned Fabinho's elbow on Son directly after that match and he used this initial silence to make his next point.

He continued: "Don't forget against Liverpool I said nothing about what happened with Fabinho.

"A lot of times [I say nothing], because if we want to complain we have the possibility every game to speak about the referee, about the decision, about the postponed game.

"I think that this is the advice, if you want to accept the advice. If you don't I don't care."