Mikel Arteta says Arsenal should have had a penalty kick late in the second half of Saturday’s goalless draw against Nottingham Forest after a handball by Ola Aina.
Despite an intervention by the VAR, no spot-kick was awarded to the frustration of the away side, with Aina’s had deemed to be in a natural position.
The match ended without a goal despite Arsenal’s domination, although they increased their gap at the top to seven points over Manchester City, who lost 2-0 in the Manchester derby earlier in the day.
“The clear penalty that we cannot forget. That is a clear penalty in the box that’s not been given. Those are the margins”, Arteta said after the match.
“I saw it live, I saw it here. I saw it now again. It’s very unnecessary but he brings the ball in with his hand. They are right, it hits the shoulder. Then he takes the ball with his hand.
“The explanation is not right. The rest, the order [of what it hits] is ok, the timing and the intention of the player is very clear. If not, I wouldn’t be sitting here saying in my opinion, it’s a very clear penalty”, the Arsenal boss continued.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche disagreed with Arteta’s opinion and believes it should never be a penalty decision.
“If these start getting given, we might as well leave it”, Dyche said.
“You never know but I think that’s ridiculous. We have to be careful with these. You might as well cancel football if you give that one.”
Arsenal’s lead at the top of the standings could be reduced to just four points if Aston Villa beat Everton in their clash later today.
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