"Let them celebrate" – Nigel de Jong urges Richard Keys to see the 'bigger picture' after Arsenal criticism

Former Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong has hit back at Richard Keys after the sports pundit criticized Arsenal for over-celebrating their 2-1 win over newly-promoted Fulham on Saturday (August 27).

After winning three games on the trot, the Gunners welcomed Fulham at the Emirates Stadium at the weekend. Aleksandar Mitrovic handed the Cottagers a surprise lead in the 56th minute before Martin Odegaard equalized eight minutes later with a deflected effort.

Five minutes from full time, Gabriel Magalhaes scored the match-winner with a left-footed volley after Bernd Leno failed to deal with Gabriel Martinelli's corner. The home crowd was left ecstatic after the side's comeback win.

Speaking on beIN Sports (via the Metro) after the thrilling Premier League contest, Keys slammed Arsenal's celebrations. He said:

"To put into context, I understand fans celebrating in the matter that they did. I felt that the coach and his players over-celebrated a 2-1 win against Fulham. I think this sort of reaction to what happened yesterday from Arteta & Co. tells me how far they've fallen."

De Jong jumped to the north London outfit's defence and pointed out the context of their latest victory. He elaborated

"I think you put too much weight on the celebrations, to be honest. You're only four games in, they have 12 points. When was the last time that they started the season like that? Arsenal haven't been successful over the last couple of years and they had no reason to celebrate."

He continued:

"It's not about that [beating Fulham], you have to see it as the bigger picture. The fact they came from behind showed resilience, it says something about that squad. Of course, it is early days but you're not talking about the game of how they've been playing technical-wise. Let them celebrate, what's the problem with them celebrating?"

Mikel Arteta's side have won their opening four fixtures – their best start to a Premier League campaign since 2004.

Arsenal will next lock horns with Aston Villa at home on August 31, hoping to continue their perfect start to their league campaign.

Arsenal's Ben White lauds Gabriel Magalhaes for his match-winning mentality

Speaking in a post-match interview with Viaplay Football, Arsenal defender Ben White lavished praise on his team-mate Gabriel Magalhaes for the centre-back's reaction after his defensive error early on. He said:

"It just shows the quality and the mentality of him. A little mistake and the reaction he showed to get us the win and help his team to get the three points."

Gabriel, who joined the Gunners from Lille for £27 million in the summer of 2020, has started all four Premier League matches this season.