Mikel Arteta has expressed his astonishment and disappointment following VAR’s decision to disallow what could have been Fulham’s winning goal against Arsenal during their Premier League clash on Sunday.
The Gunners were looking to close the gap to Liverpool, whose match against Everton was postponed on Saturday. However, the game ended in a draw, extending Arsenal’s winless streak against Fulham to three consecutive matches.
Arsenal’s clash in West London presented a valuable opportunity to cut Liverpool’s lead to just four points. Instead, the Gunners remain six points behind the league leaders, having played one more game. Despite this, Arsenal holds a narrow two-point advantage over last season’s champions, Manchester City.
The match saw Raul Jimenez put Fulham ahead early on, but Arsenal equalized through William Saliba after a marginal offside decision went in their favor. Late in the game, the Gunners seemed to have scored a decisive goal when Gabriel Martinelli set up Bukayo Saka.
However, Martinelli was ruled offside, leading to the goal being disallowed—a decision that left Arteta visibly frustrated.
After the match, Arteta expressed his disappointment over the disallowed goal and the narrow margins that determined the outcome. Speaking to Match of the Day, he said, “Very disappointed not to win the game.
Overall, we absolutely dominated from start to finish, executing our game plan effectively. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal from a single shot, but the team’s performance and their desire to win were remarkable.”
Arteta went on to highlight the frustrating nature of Premier League football, where tiny margins can significantly impact the result. “It’s incredibly unfortunate that such fine margins can decide games. That’s the most disappointing aspect tonight,” he added.
The Arsenal manager praised his team’s response to falling behind early, noting their resilience and determination to fight back. “We responded immediately after conceding, equalized, and kept pushing for another goal.
The team gave everything until the final whistle, but unfortunately, we didn’t get the reward we deserved today,” Arteta explained.
Reflecting on the missed opportunity to capitalize on Liverpool’s inactivity, Arteta admitted the result was a setback. “We came here aiming to replicate our recent success. The performance was undoubtedly there, and the chances to win were high. But this is football, and the margins are incredibly fine,” he concluded.
Former Arsenal player Paul Merson also criticized Martinelli’s positioning during the buildup to the disallowed goal. Speaking on Sky Sports, he said, “He was offside, and in football terms, what Martinelli did is unacceptable.”
