Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was left furious by matchday referee Anthony Taylor’s decision to award Brighton and Hove Albion a penalty during their 1-1 draw at the American Express Stadium on Saturday.
Gunners youngster Ethan Nwaneri gave the visitors an early lead in what proved to be a tense encounter on the south coast. However, they struggled to maintain control of the game as Brighton mounted pressure in the final third, often undone by poor execution and moments of indecision.
The Seagulls eventually got their equalizer through Joao Pedro with 60 minutes on the clock. Pedro was adjudged to have been fouled after being head-butted by Arsenal defender William Saliba in a poorly-timed aerial challenge that Taylor deemed worthy of a penalty.
“I have never seen a decision like this in my career,” a furious Arteta moaned after the draw . “I asked the boys if they have and nobody has seen it before.”
“When you look at the incident, the distance, the player, Joao touching the ball, then Saliba touching the ball, you can see contact there. I checked [with the officials]. After three seconds they said they had already checked. It seems quick.”
Referee Anthony Taylor initially hesitated before deciding to award the penalty, a decision that VAR official Darren England swiftly upheld. After the game, a Premier League statement later clarified that “there was sufficient contact for a penalty.”
Arteta was not impressed. “We are really disappointed with the decision,” the Spaniard concluded. “[Saliba] touches the ball as well.”
Meanwhile, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, took a different stand; “It was a clear penalty,” he insisted. “It is head-to-head but if it is another piece of the body, everybody would say it was a penalty. Joao Pedro places the ball with his head and Saliba comes to late, therefore it was a clear one.”
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