Alan Pardew has doubled down on his ‘asterisk’ claim about Arsenal and has responded to stinging criticism from Laura Woods about his previous comments on Mikel Arteta’s side.

Pardew was far from impressed with the performance of Arsenalin their 1-0 win against Brighton and Hove Albion at the American Express Stadium in the Premier League on Wednesday evening.

The former Newcastle United and West Ham United manager was on commentary duty during the game for talkSPORT, and his assessment of Arsenal this season was brutal.

Pardew said: “When I look at them with my football manager head on, they’re very professional.

“They do every bit of gamesmanship to get it over the line.

“At the moment, it looks like Arsenal are going to see it through. But there’ll be an asterisk next to their name.

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“It’s a professional, functional display. They’re good and powerful, but there is nothing beautiful about them.”

TV presenter Laura Woods, who is an Arsenal fan, called in on the radio station and hammered Pardew.

Woods said: “Alan, I love you, but that is the most disrespectful thing I’ve ever heard.

“How can you say that? Because we take free-kicks, set-pieces and corners? I don’t understand the thought process.

“If Arsenal win the league, none of us fans care how we?do it. I don’t care if you lot don’t enjoy watching us.

“Why would we care if we’re entertaining or not?”

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Pardew was asked about Woods’ comments on The Final Word with Majestic and Alan Pardewshow on talkSPORTon Sunday evening.

The pundit responded: “I have been trying to keep out of the way of Arsenal fans. It’s not easy, you know.

“Laura Woods, I love Laura, listen, there’s no beef between, you have got to have two people to have beef, don’t you?

“I ain’t got no beef with Laura.

“I said it as a cheeky comment about the way, you know, and obviously it was a tough watch to watch them about Arsenal.

“There were plenty of tricks going on, etc etc, so I was a bit frustrated.

“But I didn’t really expect the reaction, one of the loves of my life, Laura Woods, to come across so hard on me.

“You have to take it, that’s the point of being what we do.

“You call it as you see it sometimes.

“It’s a tough watch. I want Arsenal to be remembered this year for, like, how many trophies they are going to win out of four competitions and they are favourites in two of them for sure.”

Arsenal are seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table at the moment, although second-placed Manchester City have a game in hand.

The Gunners have reached the last 16 of the Champions League and the final of the Carabao Cup and are also still in the FA Cup.

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