Mikel Arteta has reacted after Arsenal were controversially denied a last-gasp penalty in their chaotic Champions League tie against Bayern Munich.
Tuesday night’s thrilling quarter-final first-leg showdown at the Emirates Stadium was locked at 2-2 in the final seconds of second-half stoppage time when Bukayo Saka went down inside the box following a very risky-looking challenge from Bayern captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
The home fans and players all appealed adamantly for a spot-kick that would have given them a glorious chance to take a win back to Germany for next week’s second-leg decider, but Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg quickly waved away the claims before promptly blowing the full-time whistle amid disbelief in north London.
Arsenal were absolutely incensed at the decision, with Saka visibly furious as an otherwise brilliant game between two heavyweights of European football ended on a contentious note.
Arteta also appeared angry at the time with the decision not to award his side a late penalty, though he did not want to dwell on the incident after the game as he insisted the officials claimed the incident had been properly checked by the VAR.
Asked what the referee had said to him following the final whistle, Arteta told TNT Sports: “(The referee) didn't say anything. They said they checked it and they decided it wasn't a penalty.”
Leandro Trossard had earlier notched a potentially crucial equaliser off the bench for Arsenal and he backed up team-mate by Saka by claiming it was a penalty.
“On the pitch, it looked like a penalty to me,” he said. “I haven’t seen the replay, but for me it looked like it was clear contact. But I have to wait until after to see it again obviously.”
