Arteta collects rival manager footage as touchline ban looms after Everton win

Mikel Arteta is building a personal archive of footage showing rival Premier League managers repeatedly stepping out of their technical areas without punishment, after the Arsenal head coach was booked for the second time this season during Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Everton at the Emirates Stadium.

Referee Tony Harrington cautioned Arteta in the second half, leaving the Spaniard one yellow card away from a mandatory one-match touchline ban. Rather than accept the situation quietly, Arteta made clear he believes the rules are being applied inconsistently across the division.

“I do have to be careful, yeah,” Arteta said. “I’m going to put sensors there! There are other managers doing it — there are managers that have the record in the league: 36 times in 10 minutes they leave the touchline, no yellows. So I am clipping all of that so I have a massive storage of images, so if somebody comes to me I can say I’m not in the record yet, somebody else has the record.”

On the pitch, Arsenal moved level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City thanks to goals from both centre-backs. Ezri Konsa opened his account for the club in the seventh minute, converting from close range after a Martin Odegaard corner — the Gunners’ first set-piece goal of the season. Gabriel then headed home in the 68th minute to seal the points, having earlier required medical treatment following an injury scare that visibly alarmed his teammates.

Arteta pointed to Gabriel’s response as a reflection of the squad’s collective character. “Gabi’s a great example of that, because we were all scared — not because of the way he went down, but the reaction of the players that were next to him,” the Arsenal manager said. “Immediately he says he wants to continue and then he scores a goal to help us win the game. That’s what we need from our players.”

Arteta also singled out Konsa, who joined from Aston Villa in the summer without the benefit of a pre-season, for praise. “He’s come to a huge club like Arsenal with no pre-season when Saliba is here, with other players that are already here,” Arteta said. “To position yourself in that manner, with that naturality and performing at the level that he’s doing — it’s very, very difficult to do and we are really lucky to have him.”

Arteta confirmed that substitute Riccardo Calafiori sustained a “slight” issue during the match, though he offered no further detail on the Italian’s availability. Everton manager David Moyes lamented his side’s slow start as they slipped to a second consecutive defeat.