Tottenham boss Conte says Arteta 'complains a lot' and tells him to focus on Arsenal

Arsenal boss appeared to blame referee for 3-0 defeat to Spurs that blows Champions League race wide open

Tottenham's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring the first goal from the penalty spot in the 3-0 win against Arsenal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 12, 2022. AP

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min celebrates scoring their third goal. Reuters

Tottenham's Harry Kane, right, celebrates after scoring his penalty. AP

Tottenham's Emerson Royal holds up a flare as he celebrates with teammates after Kane's penalty. AP

Harry Kane after giving Tottenham the lead. EPA

Kane scores from the spot. Getty

Arsenal's Rob Holding is shown a red card following a foul on Son Heung-Min. Getty

Harry Kane scores Tottenham's second with a header. EPA

Kane celebrates scoring the second goal for Spurs. Action Images

Son Heung-Min celebrates after scoring the third. Getty

Son Heung-Min celebrates. Getty

Arsenal's Alexandre Lacazette looks dejected after the match. Action Images

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Mohamed Elneny after the final whistle. Action Images

Soccer Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - May 12, 2022 Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte celebrates after the match REUTERS/David Klein EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has told Mikel Arteta to stop complaining and focus on his team after the Arsenal manager appeared to blame referee Paul Tierney for Wednesday's heavy North London defeat.

Fifth-placed Spurs closed the gap on their bitter rivals to one point with a comfortable 3-0 win to keep alive hopes of stealing the final Champions League berth.

A Harry Kane double and a Son Heung-min strike did the damage while Arsenal's miserable visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was compounded by Rob Holding's sending off.

Holding’s red card was sandwiched between Kane’s goals as the Arsenal defender came out second-best in a tussle with Son.

Speaking after the game, Arteta would not be drawn on his thoughts on the match official, saying: ”I cannot say what I think or I will be suspended.”

He would not add to his opinion but, when asked about Arteta’s take on the decisions from the officials, Conte did not hold back.

“He complains a lot,” the Italian said of Arteta. “He has to focus more on his team. He has to focus more on his work. He has to continue to work because he’s a very good [coach]. To hear someone complain all the time is not so good.

“At Liverpool [on Saturday] do you hear me complain about Fabinho and all the fouls? No. He can take my advice if he wants, but if not I don’t care.

“I listen and he complains a lot. I think that he has to be more focussed on his team and not to complain because he has just started his work. He has to be calm and try to continue to work. To listen to a coach complain a lot of the time is not good.”

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Both teams now have two games remaining as the fixture came at a crucial stage of the season, having been rescheduled after Arsenal successfully appealed to the Premier League.

Conte has been unhappy about the postponement and once again hit out at the call as he continued to criticise his North London rivals.

“He [Arteta] complained about the fixtures and that was after Arsenal had an unbelievable postponement with just one Covid case,” he added.

“Now we’re playing at 12pm on Sunday and they don’t play until Monday. We can’t always complain.”

Holding replaced Ben White in the heart of defence, who could only settle for a place among the substitutes following a hamstring injury. The red card now means Holding will be suspended for the vital Monday trip to Newcastle.

Should Tottenham win at home to Burnley on Sunday afternoon, Arsenal will go into the clash trailing their rivals.

Arsenal end their season at home against Frank Lampard’s Everton, while Spurs travel to East Anglia to take on already-relegated Norwich City.