‘Never seen that in my life’ – Mikel Arteta fumes with controversial penalty as Arsenal drop points to hand Liverpool title boost

01/04/2025 03:38 PM

Arsenal were pegged back in their quest to catch up with Premier League leaders Liverpool following a 1-1 draw at Brighton.

Ethan Nwaneri scored a historic goal for the Gunners to open the scoring but the hosts drew level through controversial circumstances.

William Saliba and Joao Pedro had a clash of heads midway through the second half, with the latter winning a penalty for Brighton.

It appeared to be accidental but referee Anthony Taylor’s on-field decision was allowed to stand following a check by VAR.

“The referee's call of penalty for a foul by Saliba on Joao Pedro was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed there was sufficient contact for a penalty,” said the Premier League match centre.

Pedro then fired past David Raya in the Arsenal net for the equaliser and Mikel Arteta revealed his disappointment with the decision.

“We gave too many balls away in the second half and we're very disappointed with the penalty,” he told Sky Sports.

“I've never seen that in my life, and Saliba touches the ball. [It wasn't one] For me, no.”

Arsenal’s three-game winning streak in the Premier League has now come to an end with the draw at Brighton.

They remain second in the Premier League table but have missed a huge opportunity to close the gap on leaders Liverpool.

Five points separate them at the top of the table and the Reds have two games in hand, starting against Manchester United on Sunday.

Speaking on Arsenal’s title chances, Arteta also said: “We wanted to win and we weren't able to do that.

“We're very disappointed with the [penalty] decision. Other than that, we'll try to improve and prepare for our next game.”

Should Liverpool win both of their extra matches, they could then hold an 11 point lead over Arsenal.

The Gunners’ next three league fixtures will test their mettle at the start of 2025 as they continue with their title challenge.

A home clash against north London rivals Tottenham is followed by the visit of Aston Villa, a trip to Wolves and then Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium.

Their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Newcastle and FA Cup third round match against United come beforehand.

Arsenal are by no means completely out of the title race but dropped points in results such as today could hinder their chances later in the season.