Arsenal manger Mikel Arteta has criticised Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey after he left the field injured in the build-up to Tottenham's crucial second goal in Sunday's North London derby.
After Heung-Min Son's stunning long-range strike had given Spurs the lead on the counter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Arsenal were hit by another break in first-half stoppage-time as the injured Partey vacated midfield and allowed Harry Kane to double the lead.
Arteta was seen attempting to push the 27-year-old back onto the field moments before Kane rifled Spurs into an insurmountable lead, and the Gunners boss admitted his player was in the wrong to leave the pitch.
"Thomas is out, he's limping, he's in pain, he has to come off and we lost a man in that crucial transition moment," Arteta told Sky Sports. "He has to fall on the floor.
"I wanted him on the pitch, doing whatever he could for the team in that situation. No one expected him not to be in that position."
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arteta added: "I was trying to push him back on the pitch, I don't think he realised the gravity of the situation when he left his position.
"That was probably because he was in a lot of pain. There is nothing we can do at the moment to resolve that."
"It was too quick, we were through, I think it was a four-against-three situation for us to play the final ball and we were through. Suddenly they were coming to us and Thomas is walking to me and I am trying to push him.
"I haven't spoken to him. I don't know exactly how it happened and if he felt something really serious. I will look at it and we will talk about it."