Arteta left BEMUSED by Brighton’s penalty slams VAR decision after Brighton’s penalty denies Arsenal the win against Brightom

Mikel Arteta expressed his frustration and disbelief over a controversial penalty decision that cost his Arsenal side two valuable points in their 1-1 draw against Brighton.

The match initially seemed promising for the Gunners as young Ethan Nwaneri opened the scoring with a well-taken goal.

However, a contentious penalty awarded against William Saliba allowed Joao Pedro to equalize from the spot, leaving Arteta bewildered by the referee’s judgment.

The incident that led to Brighton’s equalizer occurred when Saliba was adjudged to have fouled Pedro in the box after a clash of heads.

Despite Saliba appearing to make contact with the ball, the referee penalized the Arsenal defender, a decision Arteta found incomprehensible. Speaking after the game, Arteta shared his frustration:

“I have never seen a decision like this in my life. Saliba touches the ball,” he stated. “I asked the players if they had ever seen anything like it, and nobody had. When you analyze the incident, you can clearly see the distance between the players, Joao Pedro touching the ball, and then Saliba also touching it. There was some contact, yes, but it didn’t warrant a penalty.”

Arteta was particularly critical of how quickly the decision was reviewed by the officials, claiming it lacked thoroughness. “After just three seconds, they said they had already checked it. That seemed incredibly fast for such a critical decision,” he added.

While the penalty decision was a major talking point, Arteta also admitted that his team’s overall performance was not up to their usual standards.

Reflecting on the game, he said, “I’m disappointed because we came here to win. We started well with some excellent moves and a fantastic goal, but we couldn’t maintain that level.”

He acknowledged the challenges his team faced, particularly with key players unavailable. “We knew it would be a competitive and tough game, especially given the players we have lost recently. But we still managed to compete,” he remarked.

However, Arteta was critical of his team’s performance in the second half, citing unforced errors as a significant factor. “It wasn’t our best day. In the second half, we gave away too many simple balls, which prevented us from controlling the game. That was disappointing,” he explained.

In conclusion, Arteta voiced his frustration with the officiating while acknowledging areas where his team fell short, emphasizing the need to improve moving forward.