Arteta calls out referee after Sunderland penalty award
· Yahoo Sports
David Raya saved Enzo Le Fee’s spot-kick before Arsenal went on to win, but Arteta remained incensed by a decision he said could have changed far more than the match.
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Mikel Arteta was furious despite Arsenal’s 2-0 win at Sunderland, after the officials awarded the home side a second-half penalty that he was adamant should never have been given.
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The decision came shortly after half-time, with referee John Brooks penalising Ezri Konsa following a tussle with Sunderland defender Dan Ballard inside the Arsenal area, when it looked clear that Ballard had dragged Konsa to the ground.
With the game still goalless, Sunderland were handed the chance to take the lead, but David Raya saved Enzo Le Fée’s penalty to keep Arsenal level.
The Gunners went on to win through a superb goal from Bruno Guimaraes and a stoppage-time penalty from Bukayo Saka, but the result did nothing to soften Arteta’s view of the earlier decision.
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“I’m so upset, it’s unacceptable at this level,” Arteta said. “It can change a season, a championship.”
Arteta believed Ballard had executed what he described as a “judo roll” during the incident and was equally frustrated that VAR, with Stuart Atwell in charge, did not intervene.
“I watched it 10 times. It’s a judo roll. It just cannot happen. It’s a huge win but it could’ve been something very different,” Arteta said. “They could’ve changed the game.”
For Arteta, Raya’s save did not make the decision any less serious. Had Sunderland scored, Arsenal would have fallen behind at a crucial stage of the match and the complexion of the contest could have changed completely.
“I loved the save from David [Raya] the way the team reacted, the way we go again and we go against everything, but this should never happen, it’s not fair, and I am sad, very sad, in that sense,” Arteta added.
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Brooks was assisted by James Mainwaring and Wade Smith, with Elliott Bell acting as fourth official. Atwell was on VAR duty, assisted by Edward Smith.
The Sunderland manager said after the match that he had not seen the incident, despite running to his iPad after every incident. That says it all, really.
Arsenal ultimately took all three points, but Arteta’s anger centred on the wider implications of a decision that was plainly wrong. After just two games Arsenal have already seen two massive incorrect penalty decisions go against them, which does not bode well for the rest of the season.
It’s about time Arsenal started calling this sort of stuff out.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images