VIDEO: 'Most disrespectful thing I've ever heard' - TV presenter Laura Woods phones in during live show & vents anger at controversial Alan Pardew comments

Pardew, speaking after Arsenal’s gritty 1-0 win at Brighton, claimed that their reliance on pragmatism over flair deserved a caveat in the history books. "When I'm looking at them as my football manager's head on, they're so professional. They do every bit of gamesmanship to get it over the line... There'll be an asterisk next to their name because you've only got to look at them really in these type of performances and say, it's just a functional display. It's a professional, functional display. They're good, they're strong, they're powerful. But there is nothing beautiful about them. That's the truth," Pardew noted on talkSPORT.

The comments did not sit well with Woods, who phoned in to talkSPORT to vent her frustration. "Do you know what, Alan, I love you, but that is the most disrespectful thing I've ever heard. How can you say that? What, because we like to take free-kicks, set pieces and corners? I don't understand the thought process," Woods fired back.

She continued her passionate defence of the north Londoners by highlighting the irony in the criticism they face regarding their evolution. "It's mental... if Arsenal win the league, none of us fans, I don't care how they do it, I don't care if you lot don't enjoy watching us, why would we care if we're entertaining or not? When we were playing lovely football, everyone was saying: 'They're playing lovely football but can't win a game'. And now we're winning games in different fashions, different ways, the games evolving and you lot are bored," she added.

Their latest hard-fought win keeps the Gunners firmly in control at the top of the table. They currently hold 67 points from 30 fixtures, maintaining a seven-point lead over Manchester City, who have played one game fewer. Arteta’s men now prepare for a busy schedule across different competitions, starting with an FA Cup fifth-round tie against Mansfield Town followed by a massive Champions League round-of-16 first leg against Bayer Leverkusen next week.