Mikel Arteta abruptly left a post-match interview with Sky Sports following Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United on Sunday.
Declan Rice’s second-half strike leveled the game after Bruno Fernandes put United ahead with a first-half free-kick, but the result leaves Arsenal trailing Premier League leaders Liverpool by 15 points — making their title hopes increasingly unlikely.
Speaking to Sky Sports’ Patrick Davison, Arteta appeared to grow more irritated as the interview progressed. When asked about Arsenal’s failure to sign a striker in the January transfer window despite injuries in attack, Arteta responded, “It’s not about that,” before walking away from the camera.
Davison managed to squeeze in one final question about the title race, but Arteta, visibly annoyed, gave little response before abruptly ending the interview.
Gary Neville, on Sky Sports, suggested Arteta was frustrated with the striker question, a topic that’s been debated all season.
Arsenal let Eddie Nketiah leave for Crystal Palace last summer but chose not to bring in a recognized striker, instead using Kai Havertz in a central role. Though they loaned Raheem Sterling from Chelsea, the squad was hit hard when Gabriel Jesus suffered an ACL injury and Havertz tore his hamstring during a Dubai training camp — leaving Arsenal short-handed up front.
Mikel Merino has stepped in as an emergency striker and even scored twice against Leicester, but without a top-tier forward, Arsenal have struggled to be clinical.
Arteta’s interview walkout quickly blew up on social media. One fan on X posted, “Arteta just ran out of his post match interview after being asked about the 15 point gap. Embarrassing.”
Another wrote, “Arteta just walked out of interview…WOW he’s furious.”
A third added, “Arteta now storming out of interviews, Arne Slot has ruined his life.”
And a fourth said, “This Mikel Arteta post-match interview. My manager has lost his head.”