Gary Lineker reacts to Mikel Arteta’s post-match comments on VAR after Arsenal secure 3-1 win against Burnley

Arsenal secured a 3-1 victory over Burnley on Saturday to return to winning ways in the Premier League following their 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United last weekend.

Manager Mikel Arteta was in good spirits after the game, commending the Video Assistant Referee system.

The Arsenal boss had been left fuming with VAR following the loss to Newcastle, and Gary Lineker could not help but notice the huge difference in his reaction after the Burnley game.

“I don’t know whether you saw it,” the pundit said on The Rest is Football podcast.

“Yesterday (Saturday), I was doing Match of the Day interview after the game and Mikel Arteta was wanting to make the point and he said it in every interview, and he said the same thing to every person. “Are you not going to ask me about VAR? Because they were good today, and let’s have a bit of humour, shall we laugh at it?”

“It’s so much easier when you’ve won, isn’t it? I loved it. I thought it was great.”

Arsenal put out a statement to support their manager after the defeat to the Magpies, and the officials would have been very careful not to make any mistakes during the Burnley game.

The Gunners’ VAR decisions this term have seen six overturns – the joint most in the league so far – with two leading to goals for them and another disallowed.

Arsenal have also conceded a goal and had one disallowed for their opponents from VAR calls, and they have also been awarded two penalties while having a penalty call go against them once.

They need decisions and calls to go in their favour this term if they want to win the title, and they are aware that any wrong call could end up proving costly.

Arteta will be hoping for a repeat of the officiating he witnessed against the Clarets on a regular basis, and the PGMOL simply have to do better.

They are already looking to recruit new specialist VAR staff and have circulated an advert among around 75 refs at elite level in the men’s and women’s game to that effect.