Mikel Arteta criticizes penalty decision in Arsenal's match against Sunderland
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta called the decision to award a penalty against his team in the match against Sunderland in Sunderland, United Kingdom, unacceptable. Arsenal won 2-0, secured their fourth victory in four Premier League matches and moved into sole possession of first place in the standings.
As Asharq Al-Awsat reports, in the 55th minute goalkeeper David Raya saved Enzo Le Fée's penalty onto the post. Two minutes later, Bruno Guimarães scored his first goal for the club, sending the ball into the top corner after a pass from Declan Rice.
The referee's decision
Referee John Brooks awarded the penalty after Ezri Konsa, in the referee's view, held Dan Ballard during a corner kick. Arteta told TNT Sport that the incident could have changed the course of the match and also affected the season and the championship. The coach added that he had watched the moment ten times and does not consider it an offence warranting a penalty in any league.
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Goals and defensive play
In stoppage time, Bukayo Saka converted a penalty awarded after a foul by Reinildo Mandava. The Sunderland player was sent off, and Saka scored his third goal of the season.
Arteta also praised Raya's performance and gave credit to Sunderland, which, he said, made the task significantly more difficult for their opponent. Arsenal have kept clean sheets in four of five matches since the start of the season, including in a Champions League match against Napoli in midweek.
