Arsenal felt they had gotten away with it after a late penalty awarded following a challenge on Eberechi Eze was overturned by VAR after the referee watched a number of replays.
Referee Danny McCarey canceled second-half penalty after VAR intervention
Mikel Arteta was furious after seeing Arsenal’s second-half penalty canceled, claiming the referee’s final decision was “against the rules”.
Arsenal return to London in good shape for a last-four clash after Atletico Madrid equalized in the second half. Victor Gokeres scored the first penalty of the night after being bundled up in the penalty area just before the interval.
The Spanish side’s equalizer came from 12 yards out, but only after VAR advised the referee to look at the monitor. He initially waved off the appeal, but replays showed Ben White handled the ball and Julian Alvarez smashed it home.
Despite the hosts needing a winner, it was the Premier League side who looked like they had the best chance to score a winner. Eberechi Eze went down after David Hanko stuck out his leg. Atlético defenders immediately protested their innocence.
In the end, the referee went to the screen and, after watching multiple replays as the home players appealed, opted to overturn his original decision.
read more: Arsenal left with egg on their faces after Atletico Madrid’s appeal was rejected in the 11th hour.read more: Arsenal player rating: 9/10 star player rediscovers his best form in draw between Gunners and Atletico
The Arsenal manager told TNT Sports: “I went into the dressing room and talked to the players and I understood what happened with the second penalty and I’m very disappointed and angry that it was overturned. It was against the rules and I don’t understand it. It changed the course of the draw so I’m very, very upset.”
He added: “Even after watching it 13 times, I can’t reverse that decision. It was the wrong decision.”
Despite the controversy over the penalty against Whyte, Arteta insisted he could accept it given the interpretation in the Champions League. “That’s the rule and they’re following it perfectly,” he said. “So if you’re going to give a penalty for something like that, you have to accept that. I have nothing to say about that, but another thing can’t happen at this level.”
Arsenal were initially awarded a second penalty after David Hanko’s challenge on Eberechi Eze
Gökeres, who was on the bench when the Eze penalty controversy broke out, insisted: “I don’t know why they refused. It looks like contact, but it’s their decision.”
It is often talked about in the Champions League that the standards for awarding penalties are very low. The approach to glaring mistakes adopted in the Premier League cannot be replicated on the European stage. On Tuesday, Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies was controversially pinned for a handball, allowing PSG to score from 12 yards out for a 5-4 victory.
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