Mikel Arteta lamented another VAR decision that went against his side as Arsenal were denied a penalty via a contentious call during their 1-0 home defeat to Everton.
An error from Bernd Leno saw the Gunners slip to a frustrating loss on an evening where home fans marched on the Emirates Stadium to protest against the club’s owners. The action on the pitch did not rival the pre-match protests, which included fireworks that were missing for large parts of the match itself.
Arsenal were awarded a penalty in the second period when Dani Ceballos went to ground after a challenge from Richarlison but the decision was overturned after a VAR check ruled Nicolas Pepe was offside in the build-up.
“This has been building up. Enough is enough. Today I have had enough,” said an irate Arteta. “We’ve had many of them that nobody explains. It affects a lot of people, our job and most importantly our football club.
“What they [the match officials] do is behind the telephone. That’s what I cannot understand.
“We were the better team but there are certain decisions that we can’t control. To disallow a penalty 15 seconds before – [we had] eight or nine touches [after Nicolas Pepe was offside] – I saw it 10 times and I don’t get it. It can be taken the way they want. Zero control. Somebody has to explain that.
“We were the better team. We lacked some clear-cut chances and the edge in the final third. They are very well organised but we conceded the goal in the wrong moment and we had the penalty but it wasn’t given.”
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