Mikel Arteta has slammed the decision to award Brighton a penalty in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal at the AMEX on Saturday evening.
Arteta, 42, was frustrated after referee Anthony Taylor ruled that William Saliba had fouled Brighton forward Joao Pedro.
At first glance, it seemed that Saliba, 23, had head-butted Pedro, 23, who then converted the penalty to score his fifth Premier League goal of the season.
However, social media users questioned whether Saliba’s actions were enough to justify the penalty.
The Premier League issued a statement shortly after the incident.
“The referee’s decision to award a penalty for a foul by Saliba on João Pedro was reviewed and upheld by VAR, who concluded there was enough contact for a penalty,” the statement read.
A reverse-angle video has since surfaced on social media, fueling further debate, with many fans suggesting that Saliba played the ball before following through with his head.
The Arsenal manager appeared visibly frustrated during his post-match interview with Sky Sports.
“I’m very disappointed with the way the penalty was given,” Arteta said.
“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life,” he added angrily.
“Saliba touches the ball, so…” the Arsenal manager continued.
When asked if he believed it was a penalty, Arteta firmly responded, “For me, no.”
But that wasn’t the only setback from the match on the south coast.
Ethan Nwaneri, who scored, was substituted at half-time, and after the game, Arteta gave a concerning update on the young player.
“Really bad news because I think we’ve lost him. We had to take him off at half-time due to muscular issues,” he told BBC Sport.
Additionally, Bukayo Saka is expected to be out for several months after an injury sustained during the 5-1 victory against Crystal Palace in December.
After Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Ipswich on December 27, Arteta provided an update on Saka’s recovery.
“He [Saka] had a procedure,” Arteta explained. “Everything went well, but unfortunately, he will be out for many weeks.”
“I said many weeks, so I think it will be more than two months. I don’t know exactly how much longer. It will depend on how the scar tissue heals in the first week or so, the mobility of that. It’s hard to say at this stage.”
