Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has described Nicolas Pepe’s conduct against Leeds United as “unacceptable” after the forward was sent off in the Gunners’ 0-0 draw.
In the Ivorian’s second Premier League start of the 2020/2021 season, he failed to impress his boss, incurring the anger of his manager by seeing a red card in the first half.
Pepe, 25, headbutted Leeds United’s Ezgjan Alioski, leaving Antony Taylor no chance but to send him off after a VAR review.
Arteta fumed: “Considering how early we got Pepe sent off we have to take it. I never like a draw but in the circumstances, it’s a point. It is unacceptable.
“The first half there were two different periods. The game broke a bit, we started to give the ball away and led to them having the space to break. The second half it was a matter of defending well and staying patient and using the pace of our players in the space they were leaving.”