“Furious Mikel Arteta Lashes Out at Officials After Arsenal’s Painful Loss to Inter Milan”
“Mikel Arteta Erupts After Arsenal’s Defeat to Inter Milan, Blasts Officials in Fiery Rant”
Mikel Arteta criticized the penalty decisions following Arsenal’s 1-0 Champions League loss to Inter Milan.
Arsenal fell to defeat after Hakan Calhanoglu’s first-half injury-time penalty secured all three points for Inter. The penalty was awarded when Mikel Merino was penalized for a close-range handball inside the box, a decision Arteta felt was overly harsh.
Adding to their frustration, Arsenal believed they should have been awarded a penalty when Yann Sommer collided with Merino, but the referee dismissed their appeal, which left Arteta furious.
“We were harshly done tonight,” Arteta told TNT Sports, explaining that “it’s obvious” there was an inconsistency in the calls. He argued that if the penalty against Merino was given, then Arsenal should have had one too, as Sommer “punched him [Merino] in the head.”
Regarding Merino’s handball, Arteta added, “It’s just a deflection; there’s no threat. The ball is very close, there’s nothing he can do. If you’re giving that one, then the other has to be a penalty too.”
Reflecting on the game, Arteta said, “We created enough chances to score a couple of goals; that’s on us. The team played with energy, quality, and dominated one of Europe’s best teams in their stadium. I’m very proud. But in the Champions League, what happens in the box decides everything.”
With seven points, Arsenal currently sits seventh in their Champions League group. Their Premier League campaign continues on Sunday with a trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.
