Aaron Ramsdale was called “disrespectful” by Tottenham forward Richarlison after the tense circumstances at the end of the north London derby on Sunday.
After the final whistle sounded to signal a 2-0 victory for the Gunners, the Arsenal goalkeeper turned to the home crowd and kissed the badge on his shirt. Richarlison sprinted over to confront him before a Spurs supporter managed to stand on the advertising hoardings and kick Ramsdale in the back as he went to get his water bottle.
Before Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta rushed his squad away to celebrate with the away fans after the victory that gave them an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League, several players from both teams got involved.
Speaking to ESPN, Richarlison explained why he reacted in the manner he did to Ramsdale, saying: “What I really didn’t like was their goalkeeper going to celebrate in front of our fans. It’s kind of disrespectful to our fans. He has his fans, he has to go celebrate with his fans, not be cute with our fans.
“People know that we tried to do our best, but you have to respect other teams. [Ramsdale] lacked respect there, and I went there to charge [against] him.”
Club statement on today's full-time incident at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 15, 2023
It was not the only time the former Watford and Everton player showed displeasure during the game, including moments with fellow Brazilians Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes, though he later regretted his shunning of Martinelli when he offered his hand prior to taking a corner.
“I want to apologise to him,” he said. “He put his hand out and I didn’t. Like it or not, he is my Brazil team-mate. This is part of it, it’s a derby, we were hot headed.
“With [Magalhaes], I argued a little because he was holding up the game. He ended up getting a yellow [for time-wasting], and I said to him: ‘Let’s play, let’s play’. And he was holding up the game.”
Tottenham released a statement after the game saying they were “appalled by the behaviour” of the supporter who attacked Ramsdale and confirmed they would be “working with the Met Police, Arsenal and Aaron Ramsdale to take the strongest possible action, including an immediate ban from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.”