Dyche anger at diving after Ozil masterclass
Sean Dyche accused Arsenal players of diving and claimed Burnley should have been awarded a penalty as his team fell to an eighth defeat in their past 10 Premier League games.
Two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a late Alex Iwobi strike were enough to secure all three points for the home side as Mesut Ozil shone on his return to the side after being dropped from the squad that faced Tottenham in midweek.
But, rather than worrying about the fact his team will spend Christmas in the relegation zone, the Burnley manager was more concerned with the fact he felt Matteo Guendouzi and Granit Xhaka both dived, while Kevin Long’s penalty appeal for a push by Sead Kolasinac was ignored.
Dyche said: “Where do you want to start with the decisions? Shall we start with the 61 games without a penalty? And a clear double-handed push in the back on Kevin Long. That’s a pretty good place to start.
“Ashley Barnes getting booked when their player
[Sokratis] clearly threw an elbow out at him. I’ve seen that one back, by the way ... there was an unnatural movement towards the face. Somehow Ashley Barnes came out of that and got booked.”
Guendouzi was shown a card for a late tackle and believed the Arsenal midfielder should have been sent off for diving, “There were two dives,” said Dyche. “No one seems to want to do anything about diving in the game – apart from me. I’m still amazed by it. One of which [the dives] he [Guendouzi] doesn’t get booked for it. Nothing will happen retrospectively. If one of their players [Guendouzi] had been booked for it, then he would have been off. “[Matej] Vydra goes through with Xhaka and touches him marginally on his shoulder and Xhaka goes down and gets a free-kick. It’s centre-halves now going down after hardly anything. Incredible.
“Kids everywhere are watching, all it. No one seems to care about it. It’s purely factual. Facts, facts, facts. Nothing to do with a campaign. If it was a campaign I’d be out there everywhere. I want to see people banned because if they were, it would evaporate out of the game. Millions of children, millions of children [are watching]. You wouldn’t ruffle your kids’ hair if they come home after school and cheated in a maths test.
“They cheat at a game of football and it’s OK. It’s almost like, ‘Well done. We got away with that one’.”
Guendouzi and Xhaka were two of three Arsenal players, including Shkodran Mustafi, booked against Huddersfield Town earlier this month and Dyche added: “I’m absolutely amazed at where it’s at at the moment. And nobody is bothered. There’s no point speaking to the referees. They haven’t got any power. It’s a bigger picture than that. I’ve not been shy with my feelings on this. I’m talking about blatant diving. Cheating. Where there has been no contact at all and people are falling over.
“The powers-that-be have to get their heads together. The Premier League, the FA, the PGMOL [Professional Game Match Officials Ltd] – they’ve all got to get their heads together because it’s gone too far.
“I’m the only manager who talks about this. So let’s take it out of the managers’ hands.”
Dyche exchanged words with Arsecopying nal manager Unai Emery at the final whistle but, asked if the Spaniard was upset, the 47-year-old said: “Of course he wasn’t. It was his players not mine.
“He just said, ‘You are questioning the referee?’ And I said, ‘Yes you’re absolutely right I was – all the best, have a good Christmas.’ I was upset with the referee. Because they are clear things.
“We’ve gone 61 games without a penalty. If I was allowed to bet, which I’m clearly not, I don’t know how you get that stat.
“Sixty-one Premier League games and we’ve had another one today not given. I bet you any money we get one when we are 4-0 up or 4-0 down.”
Emery defended his players against accusations of diving by saying: “I don’t agree. It’s not my experience.”
Ozil returned to the Arsenal team as captain and had a hand in two of Arsenal’s goals. His pass found Kolasinac in the first half and took out six Burnley players, with the left-back cutting the ball back for Aubameyang to score.
Aubameyang then grabbed his second of the game and his 12th Premier League goal of the season, but an Ashley Barnes strike set up a nervy finish until Ozil wriggled his way around a couple of challenges and had a shot blocked, allowing substitute Iwobi to lash the loose ball into the net.
On Ozil’s return, Emery added: “It was a very good response. He was the kind of player we needed today – his skills, his commitment with us was very good. He helped us. We need Mesut Ozil. Today he was great for us.”