Manager Mikel Arteta condemned the referee’s decision to cancel Arsenal’s penalty, calling it “completely unacceptable”. The Gunners sparked controversy in the second half of their match against Atletico Madrid when David Hanko was denied a spot-kick because he was deemed not to have fouled Ebelesi Eze.
The referee initially awarded a spot kick when Eze went to the floor, but the decision was overturned after a lengthy VAR check. Both managers could be seen yelling at the referee on the touchline, and manager Diego Simeone celebrated the winning goal as he had done for his team that night.
After the final whistle, the Arsenal manager told TNT Sports: “I’m very disappointed and frustrated because it was against the rules, but I don’t understand it and I’m very, very upset because times are changing,” Arteta said.
“I spoke to the players and I understand about the penalty when the second goal was canceled. It was against the rules and I don’t understand it. I’m very upset. There was obviously contact. He made the decision and you have to watch it 13 times and you can’t overturn it.”
Asked if the referee was influenced by the atmosphere in the stadium, Arteta said: “I don’t know. That’s the answer for him. It was a wrong call and it changed the course of the draw.”
“It’s a rule and they’ve followed it pretty consistently. There’s nothing to say about that. All I have to say is the penalties. There are a lot of positives. We did a lot of very good things. We knew there would be tough moments. Their home record was broken again.”
“We’re in an incredible position. We have to play in front of the people. It’s in our hands.”
Arteta then decided to look ahead to Saturday’s match against Fulham, which will be their return to the Premier League, adding: “I want them to be in the best possible position, to make sure they eat, sleep and get lots of love.”
Arsenal striker Victor Gokeres agreed with his head coach that he should have been awarded a second penalty after the Swede was fouled in the first half.
“I think we controlled the game very well in the first half,” he added. “We had some good chances and we managed to score. They started the second half pretty well and we managed to score. Then towards the end we had some good chances. Overall it was a tough game. It’s going to be tough going, but it’s only half-time.”
“It’s hard to say because I didn’t see either penalty, but that’s football. I don’t know why they rejected the second penalty (against Eze). It looks like contact, but that’s the referee’s decision.”
“It wasn’t easy after they scored, because we have a crowd here. We played and tried to get the momentum back from the first half and we were able to do that towards the end, but the second half was tough.
“We know it’s going to be different playing at home with our fans. We just have to do our job and do our best.”
