Newcastle United and Arsenal have both condemned racist abuse sent to Magpies pair Bruno Guimaraes and Joe Willock.
The two sides played out a controversial game on Saturday night at St. James' Park, with Newcastle claiming 1-0 win over Mikel Arteta's side on Tyneside to inflict a first Premier League defeat of the season upon Arsenal. Tensions between Newcastle and Arsenal boiled over multiple times, with Guimaraes and Gunners midfielder Kai Havertz both lucky not to have been sent off during the contest.
Following the game, which was settled by Anthony Gordon's second half strike, Willock shared on his Instagram story two disgusting messages sent to him. And on Sunday, both Newcastle and Arsenal, whom Willock used to play for, released statements condemning the vile abuse directed at him, and Guimaraes.
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The Magpies club statement read: "Newcastle United strongly condemns racist abuse sent to Bruno Guimarães and Joe Willock via social media following Saturday’s victory over Arsenal. Our message is clear. There is no room for racism in football or society.
"We are providing support to Bruno and Joe and will work with relevant authorities and social media platforms to identify those responsible so that they can be held to account."
That then led Arsenal to respond, with the club writing on social media in reply to Newcastle's statement: "We condemn all forms of discrimination and take a zero tolerance approach. We will apply the strongest possible action to anyone we can identify sending hateful messages."
Do you think Anthony Gordon's goal should have stood? Tell us in the comments section below.
Newcastle's win over the Gunners sees them climb up to sixth in the Premier League, with Eddie Howe's side now just four points of fourth placed Liverpool. However, the 1-0 win over Arsenal left a bitter taste in the mouth of Mikel Arteta, who called the officiating at St. James' Park a "disgrace" and "embarrassing".
Gordon's 64th minute strike was checked by VAR for three separate infringements, which all went in Newcastle's favour after the ball was initially deemed to have not gone out of play.
From there, Willock's ball into the box saw Arsenal keeper David Raya flap at the cross, with defender Gabriel unable to clear the ball with a header. The second potential infringement checked saw VAR take a look at whether Joelinton fouled Gabriel, with the officials deeming his challenge fine.
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Then, the third and final check came in the form of a potential offside on Gordon. However, there was no conclusive evidence the Newcastle winger was, leading to the goal being allowed.
And speaking after the game, Arteta launched into a tirade over the affair. "How the hell did this goal stand up? It's embarrassing," said Arteta in his post match press conference.
"It’s an absolute disgrace that this goal is allowed to stand. It’s more than one reason. It is a disgrace. It is not a goal, simple. I feel sick to be part of this."
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