"Brilliant": Wayne Rooney sends message to Arsenal with "very unfair" claim

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has spoken about the ‘very unfair’ criticism over Arsenal’s playing style during the Premier League campaign.

The Gunners are currently top of the league standings with 67 points, seven ahead of Manchester City, who have a game in hand against Crystal Palace at home.

Mikel Arteta’s side recently registered a hard-fought victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on the road.

The Seagulls were the better side on the ball at the Amex Stadium, but the Gunners managed to preserve an early ninth-minute lead to secure three crucial points.

After the victory, Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler said that only one side came to play on the night, but Rooney insists that football is played in different ways.

The former Red Devils star added that set-pieces are part of the game, and Arsenal have been brilliant in that department and have no reason to change because of ‘very unfair’ criticism.

He said on The Wayne Rooney Show: “I’ve heard a lot of people talking about Arsenal and the way they’re playing but I think they’ve been brilliant. Football is played in different ways. Man City have had spells when they were absolutely incredible, the same for my Man United team.

“But Arsenal have got a good mix, they’ve got different players who score goals, they’re hard to play against, they keep clean sheets. I actually enjoy watching them play. ‘The set-pieces are part of football – why would you not use it?

“They put bodies in the box, if teams aren’t clever enough or haven’t got the players to deal with it, why wouldn’t Arsenal continue to do that? I would be doing it even more if I was Mikel Arteta. It’s part of the game and I love it – they don’t have to change anything.

“They maybe haven’t scored as many goals from open play as they would like but they’ve made up for it in other ways. The last league title we won, we wasn’t great as a team, but nobody is talking about that now.

“I don’t think Arsenal have been as bad as people are saying, I really don’t. I’m not saying this because I like Arsenal, I’m saying this because I think the criticism they have received is very unfair.”

Arsenal have had a superb 2025/26 season across all competitions. They are in the League Cup final and have also progressed to the last eight of the FA Cup after beating Mansfield Town.

The Gunners are likewise into the round of 16 of the Champions League. They have a favourable draw and are widely fancied to reach the last four of the European competition at least.

The Premier League season has been trickier for the Gunners than the Cup competitions, largely because teams have played on the defensive with consistent low blocks.

Arsenal have had to find ways to break them down. Their set-piece threat has been a game-changer, and the club have already scored nine winning league goals this season from such situations.

It is quite clear that opponents are unable to sustain Arsenal despite knowing their strength from corners and free-kicks. As Rooney said, the club should continue doing this to get over the line.

The Gunners may not be playing beautiful free-flowing football at the current phase of the season, but all that matters is three points. Fans won’t be bothered so long as Arsenal win a long-awaited title.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

The post "Brilliant": Wayne Rooney sends message to Arsenal with "very unfair" claim first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.