Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta was not pleased with the way his team's schedule has been set by the Premier League. And he made his displeasure clear after the Gunners were beaten 2-0 at home by Liverpool, who trimmed down Manchester City's lead at the top of the points table to just one point. While speaking after the match, Arteta took a jibe at Premier League, 'thanking' them for the unfair scheduling.  Arsenal 0–2 Liverpool, PL 2021–22 Video Highlights

"Thank you so much to the Premier League to do that. And they’ve done it again for when we have to play Chelsea and Manchester United. So if they want to give them any advantage I say today, thank you so much for doing that," the Spaniard remarked, as quoted by Mirror.co.uk after the match. Arsenal remained on the fourth spot despite the loss and are still in a favourable position to qualify for the Champions League next season, as they have got more games in hand as compared to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

The Gunners boss further shared that Premier League would not reschedule the fixtures and said, "No it’s always BT, it’s Sky, it’s this, it’s that, but the one that is affected is Arsenal and the only thing I care about and we care about is Arsenal and for Arsenal, it’s not fair.” Marcus Rashford Issues Clarification After Video of Him Reacting to Fans’ Criticism Went Viral, Writes, ‘My Emotion Got the Better of Me’

The Gunners next play Aston Villa on Saturday, March 19. What Arteta was referring to as an example is the fact Arsenal play Chelsea next month on April 21 and within two days, go up against Manchester United on April 23. When asked if his players would be ready for the Aston Villa game on Saturday, Arteta said, "Yes 100 percent,” he said. “Don’t worry on Saturday, the players will be there with energy. They will sleep, eat well. But thank you so much to the Premier League for putting the fixtures like this. Very, very helpful.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 17, 2022 02:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).