Arteta rages at Brighton penalty award: ‘I’ve never seen a decision like this’
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Mikel Arteta hit out at Anthony Taylor for awarding the penalty that pegged back Arsenal at Brighton but admitted his side lacked enough “freshness” to hold on for victory. Ethan Nwaneri’s second Premier League goal had given the visitors the lead in the first half but the Arsenal manager was left raging when William Saliba was penalised by Taylor for catching João Pedro in the face as he attempted to head the ball away.
“I have never seen a decision like this in my career. I asked the boys if they have and nobody has seen it before,” said Arteta. “When you look at the incident, the distance, the player, João 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.”.
Sign up to Football Daily. Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football. after newsletter promotion. The 1-1 draw leaves Arsenal five points behind Liverpool but having played two matches more than the leaders. There was more bad news for Arteta, with the 17-year-old Nwaneri forced off at half-time with injury and Martin Ødegaard, the captain, able to come on only as a second-half substitute because of illness, while Kai Havertz was again not involved.
Arsenal host Newcastle in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday before Manchester United visit in the FA Cup next Sunday. Arteta admitted they have so far struggled to cope with the hectic schedule of nine matches in January and acknowledged that his players ran out of steam in the second half against Brighton.
