Jamie Carragher has drawn a striking comparison between Mikel Arteta and Sir Alex Ferguson, arguing that the Arsenal manager has adopted the same commanding approach to press conferences that made the legendary Manchester United boss so formidable.

The verdict came after Arteta publicly labelled a penalty awarded against his side during Saturday's Premier League clash with Sunderland as "not acceptable" — despite Arsenal eventually emerging with a 2-0 victory.

The penalty that sparked the row

The controversy came in a dramatic second half, when referee John Brooks awarded a spot kick after Dan Ballard went to ground under a challenge from Ezri Konsa. David Raya kept Arsenal level by parrying Enzo Le Fee's effort onto the post, but the decision still drew Arteta's wrath in his post-match briefing.

Rather than focus on the clean sheet or the three points, Arteta repeatedly returned to the penalty call, determined — in the view of those watching — to set a narrative that such decisions would not be tolerated.

Carragher's Ferguson comparison

Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher did not hold back. "This was Mikel Arteta becoming the Alex Ferguson of the Premier League right now," he said. "He's the 'Don' at the moment and the Premier League champion. There are a lot of new managers about, he's been in his role for six or seven years and he feels he is in a position of power to say it wasn't a penalty — and I don't think it was a penalty."

The Liverpool legend added that Arteta's persistence on the subject during the press conference was deliberate and calculated. "One of the journalists made a point about no matter what question you asked him, he kept going back to the penalty. He was determined to get the narrative out that this won't happen again to his club — but listen, that is management. We have seen it with Alex Ferguson, with Jose Mourinho."

Edwards backs Carragher's reading

Former Luton Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Rob Edwards echoed those sentiments. "I think Jamie is right — he is putting himself in a position where he is looking after his team and football club," Edwards said. "People will listen to a Premier League winning manager. They will listen as he is a powerful voice there."

Whether referees will be influenced by Arteta's public pressure campaign remains to be seen, but the Arsenal boss has made clear he intends to use every platform available to protect his side's interests.