‘Nobody has seen it before’: Arsenal held to 1-1 draw at Brighton after conceding controversial penalty
By Issy Ronald, CNN
(CNN) — Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was left lamenting a controversial penalty decision on Saturday, the likes of which he said he has “never seen,” and which consigned his team to a 1-1 draw at Brighton.
The penalty was awarded in the 58th minute when Arsenal defender William Saliba seemed to accidentally headbutt Brighton forward João Pedro as they both jumped to head the ball. The Video Assistant Referee agreed with the decision, confirmed it was a penalty and Pedro converted from the spot to level the game.
For Arteta, however, the decision was “very disappointing.”
“I have never seen a decision like this in my career. I asked the boys if they have and nobody has seen it before,” he told reporters after the game. “When you look at the incident, the distance, the player, João (Pedro) touching the ball, Saliba touching the ball, you can see contact there.”
Letting slip a 1-0 lead and securing only a draw dealt a blow to Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes as the Gunners now sit five points behind league leader Liverpool, which has two games in hand.
But for Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler, “it was a clear penalty.”
“If it happens with another piece of the body, for example knee-to-knee, it’s just too late, so it’s just the fact that it’s too late,” he told reporters. “I can’t understand to say it’s not a penalty.”
The debate over whether the penalty should have been awarded rumbled along among the pundits too – Gary Lineker said on BBC’s “Match of the Day” that “never ever have we seen a penalty given for head clashes,” while Jamie Redknapp said on Sky Sports that it was “absolutely” a penalty.
When asked if he expected the penalty to be overturned, Arteta said: “I checked and after three seconds they said they already checked it. It seems quick.” He added that the referee Anthony Taylor told him he would take a look at it.
The-CNN-Wire
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