Martin Odegaard has hit back at the celebration police (Picture: Getty)
Martin Odegaard has hit back at criticism suggesting Arsenal over-celebrated in the wake of their 3-1 victory over Liverpool at the Emirates.
Second-half goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard saw the Gunners claim a vital win over the Premier League leaders to reignite their title aspirations.
Mikel Arteta sprinted down the touchline celebrating Trossard’s injury-time strike, with players undertaking a lap of honour in celebration after the full-time whistle.
Odegaard was also seen taking a picture of the club photographer which drew the ire of Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher who suggested the Gunners skipper should just ‘get down the tunnel’.
Gary Neville suggested that the celebrations were a sign of immaturity but the Norwegian has rebuffed that notion.
‘I think everyone who loves football, who understands football, they know how much it means to win this game,’ the 25-year-old said after the game.
‘And if you’re not allowed to celebrate when you win a game, when are you allowed to celebrate?
Mikel Arteta was also criticised for his celebrations (Picture: Getty)
‘We are happy with the win and we’ll stay humble. We keep working hard and we prepare for the next one but you have to be happy when you win.
‘It was a massive game. It could have been eight points [the gap between Liverpool and Arsenal] and it would look a lot more difficult then, but we showed up, the fans were unbelievable.
‘I think we all did this together. You see the club, how together we are, all the players, staff, supporters, everything. So yeah, brilliant to see.’
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When asked about the photo with club photographer Stuart MacFarlane, Odegaard responded: ‘He is such a big Arsenal fan, such a big heart for the club, he’s been here so long. I thought it was a nice moment for him to get a good memory as well.’
Ian Wright, meanwhile, came to his former side’s defence, suggesting that the players were well within the right to enjoy the moment.
‘Why is everybody trying to kill the joy? Don’t kill the joy,’ the former Gunners strike said on social media. ‘There’s so much of the season to go. As soon as Arsenal do anything they just come under a pile-on. It’s like we can’t have any joy.’
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