MADRID, April 29 : Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta lambasted the referee’s decision to overturn a penalty he had originally awarded his side that denied them victory in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
After consulting the VAR, referee Danny Makkelie overturned the penalty he had awarded when Eberechi Eze appeared to have his toe stepped on in the second half, and the game ended 1-1.
Arteta argued that there was clear contact and said the fact that the referee had to watch the replay several times before reversing his decision was proof that it should have stood.
“What I’m incredibly fuming about is how the hell the penalty on Ebs gets overturned,” Arteta said. “If you have to watch it 13 times…That’s a goal that can change the course of the season. This cannot happen.”
Arteta said that he accepted the penalty awarded to Atletico after the ball bounced off Ben White’s leg on to his hand, even though it would not have been awarded in the Premier League. Julian Alvarez converted, equalising in the 56th minute.
“The same way we have to accept Ben White’s penalty, Ebs’s is a clear penalty,” he said.
Arteta said he was proud of how his team withstood a raucous atmosphere in Madrid even if he lamented that Arsenal’s task would have been easier in the second leg next Tuesday if the penalty had stood.
“It’s all to play for in London,” he said.
