"I did it in front of them" - Mikel Arteta hits back at Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher for comments after Arsenal's loss at Newcastle United

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hit back at Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher for their comments following the Gunners' controversial 1-0 loss to Newcastle United in the Premier League in November.

Recall that Arsenal were left with a bad taste when they fell to a painful defeat on their visit to Saint James Park towards the end of last year.

The Gunners felt that the ball had already gone out of play in the build-up to Anthony Gordon scoring the decisive goal for Newcastle and that Gabriel Magalhaes was directly fouled before the strike.

Speaking after the game, an angry Mikel Arteta criticized the officiating and branded the decision not to rule out the goal a 'disgrace' and 'embarrassing'. That didn't sit well with many, including Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville, who criticized the tactician because they felt he overstepped the mark.

With Arsenal and Newcastle United set to lock horns in the English top flight once again this weekend, the Gunners manager seized the opportunity to hit back at the Sky Sports pundits as he firmly defended his decision to rant at the time.

“I have a duty to defend our players, to defend our club and to raise our voices when you feel something is not right," Arteta was quoted as saying by Express.

"You have to say it. I also said that privately, in front of everybody’s face and it’s not something that I did publicly when I had not said it before. The order was right. I did it internally, I did it in front of them, face-to-face, then I did it publicly.

“Then I have to justify myself. It was a good experience as a coach! I have to tell you. To go through that. But I am lucky to have a club that gives me a lot of support as they did on that occasion,” Mikel Arteta added.

Arsenal will lock horns with Newcastle United in a Premier League fixture at the Emirates Stadium today (February 24), hoping to bounce back to winning ways after suffering a 1-0 defeat to FC Porto in the Champions League in midweek.

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What are Mikel Arteta and Arsenal up to this season?

Arsenal's priority for the season is obviously to win the Premier League title, with the Gunners looking determined to finally get it right following their near miss last season owing to a late capitulation.

Mikel Arteta's men currently occupy the third spot in the rankings with 55 points from 25 games. They're one point behind second-placed Manchester City and four points behind leaders Liverpool, who have played one game more than the other title contenders.

The Londoners are still in the Champions League, although they have some serious work to do after losing to Porto in the first leg of their round of 16 clash. They'll play the return leg at the Emirates Stadium on March 12.