Chris Sutton slams Arsenal’s celebrations following crucial West Ham win

Chris Sutton has hit out at Arsenal’s players for over-celebrating after their 2-1 Premier League win over West Ham on Sunday.

In the race for a Champions League spot, the Gunners moved two points clear of their north London rivals Tottenham as goals from Gabriel and Rob Holding sealed their victory at the London Stadium.

Manager Mikel Arteta and his players were pleased with the triumph and could be seen fist-pumping with the away section following the final whistle.

However, former Celtic striker Sutton believes the jollification was over the top, writing on social media: ‘Arsenal celebrating like they’ve won the league… dear me.’

Sutton’s criticism comes after Wolves’ Ruben Neves took a dig at the north London side when similar celebrations took place following an Arsenal victory at Molineux in February.

The north London side have not qualified for the Champions League for six years and Arteta has laid out the importance of playing in Europe’s top competition next season.

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It has been suggested that the joy shown in unison by Gunners players following a win is a sign of the togetherness that Arteta has fostered within the current group.

Speaking earlier this year, the Spaniard revealed he urges his team to enjoy the victories as much as possible because they are hard to come by in the Premier League.

He said: ‘I encourage them to celebrate every victory. Because you can tell how difficult it is in this game to win football matches.

‘Our supporters are the same, every time we win we should celebrate because when you lose or draw you know the faces are always (sad).’

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