Mikel Arteta responds to Sir Alex Ferguson comparison as Arsenal manager admits to 'mistakes'

Mikel Arteta played down comparisons with Sir Alex Ferguson over his comments about officiating, but insisted he will continue to defend Arsenal.

The Spaniard went on the offensive last weekend after Arsenal's win over Sunderland, in which his side conceded a controversial penalty.

Arteta described the decision to award a penalty against Ezri Konsa as "unacceptable". He insisted the contact had been initiated by a "judo roll" from Dan Ballard.

Those strong comments led to Jamie Carragher suggesting Arteta was following in the footsteps of Ferguson in speaking from a position of power as the "don" of the Premier League.

Responding to that, Arteta said: "No, I'm here to try to give my opinion.

"To defend my club, to give the very best to our players. In order to do so, obviously, you guys ask some questions and we need to respond in the most direct and fair way.

"I will make mistakes, sometimes, but I will try to be as fair as possible.

"We discuss many topics in this room, very important all of them. We have a space to talk, give our opinions, have discussions, have personal conversations. It's everybody's duty to try and improve the game and that's what we are here for."

Arsenal contacted Pro Ref at the start of the week, seeking an explanation over that penalty decision.

That came after the organisation issued an apology to Manchester United on Sunday for not ruling out Erling Haaland's winner in the Manchester derby for offside.

"These are conversations that will remain private, as they should and they have to keep it that way," Arteta said when asked what Pro Ref had told Arsenal.

"It's not about an apology. It's just agreeing that the decision should have been different or not, maybe they have a different opinion. Try to improve and move forward together."