A “very disappointed” Mikel Arteta believes Joao Pedro's penalty that denied Arsenal victory in Brighton should not have been given.
With Arsenal leading 1-0 through Ethan Nwaneri's early opener, Joao Pedro went down. William Saliba clashed with the Brighton striker's heads as they contested a high ball.
Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot and VAR agreed to the call as there was “sufficient contact” from the Arsenal defender.
Pedro scored the penalty and the stalemate means Arsenal are five points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after playing two games.
Asked by Sky Sports for his thoughts on the decision, Arteta replied: “I've never seen it in my life and Saliba touches the ball. For me, this is clearly not a punishment.”
He later told his press conference: “The match comes with a decision that is very disappointing.
“I've never seen a decision like that in my career. I asked the guys if they've done that and no one has seen it before.
“If you look at the incident, the distance, the player, Joao Pedro touching the ball, Saliba touching the ball, you see contact there.”
Asked if he thought VAR should have overturned the decision, he replied: “If I expected it? I checked it and after three seconds they said they had already checked it. It seems quick.”
Arteta said he had not received an explanation from referee Taylor about the decision, but the referee told him he would look into it, the Arsenal manager said.
The experts' view
Jamie Redknapp on Sky Sports:
“Saliba confuses himself. Then it's just a reaction, sticking his head out to try and win the ball. It's chaotic and it's not what we normally associate with Arsenal.”
“Is it a punishment? Absolutely. You can see the contact.”
Steve Sidwell on Sky Sports:
“Joao Pedro has shown a bit of Brazilian flair. When the ball comes up, he reads the bounce and taps it up. It's a genuine attempt to get the ball from Saliba, but Joao Pedro beats him to it.”
Arteta on whether Arsenal need a new striker
The draw on the south coast raised more questions about whether Arsenal will need more in the future, especially with the January transfer window now open.
The Gunners have scored nine shots – their second-lowest total in an 11-man Premier League match this season – and their expected goals (xG) figure of 0.8 is their second-lowest league figure of the season in the same category. competitions.
Asked whether there was a need to take action in the transfer market, Arteta said: “We cannot make a decision based on one performance or one day with many circumstances. Not only the players we have lost, but also the fact that we got Ethan out, we could only use Martin for a limited time.
“Hopefully Tuesday [for the Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle, live on Sky]we will be in a better position.
“You can't rely on just one player to do that. During the process in the second half we missed certain things and that's normal because we had the flexibility to work in certain areas. That's something we can do much better .and that's up to us.”
Analysis: Nwaneri shines, but Arsenal's case for a new striker grows
Sky Sports' Sam Blitz at the Amex Stadium:
After the first half in Brighton it looked like Arsenal had found the answer to their attacking problems.
Bukayo Saka has been out for a while and Martin Odegaard was unfit to start, but 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri stepped up in the absence of both. His finish was Saka-esque and, unfazed by the presence of England manager Thomas Tuchel in the stands, looked like the start of something special.
Then it fell apart. Nwaneri came off injured and Arsenal lost their ability to speak up front. Gabriel Martinelli came on, but for the second game in a row the Brazilian finished without a shot or chance as a right winger.
“I think we've lost him too,” Arteta said of Nwaneri's strike, with the teenager joining Saka and Raheem Sterling on the treatment table as right winger.
Arsenal now need to fix this lack of fluidity. They managed just nine shots – their second-lowest total in a Premier League match this season, in which they had 11 players. Their expected goals rating of 0.8 was the lowest in all competitions through 18 games.
This could well be the result that sends Arsenal into the transfer market…
Can Arsenal still win the title?
Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp:
“I said before the game that there would still be twists and turns, but if Arsenal keep performing like this, that won't happen. They were bad tonight. In the second half they had one shot on target. A draw will cost them a lot of money. That costs them a lot of money.” It was a very bad evening for them. A lack of quality, a lack of deception.
“I just felt that unless it was a set-piece, Arsenal weren't good enough in the second half. Credit to Brighton.”
“Arsenal have to run a kind of Man City race to win the title. They have to look at what Man City have done in recent years, when they have chased them and chased them and it is so difficult, getting three points every time.
“But are Arsenal capable of that? They have to play better than they are now. That's the reality. You can look at it on paper and say, 'These are great games', but you have to make it count. ” .
“A few weeks ago, at home against Everton, you thought: 'that's an absolute banker for them'.
“They haven't been able to win games like that and that's where they have to find other ways, especially without Bukayo Saka.”
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