Arsenal robbed of two penalties? They were clear, thinks Arteta

Arsenal lost their first home league points on Tuesday for a goalless draw with Newcastle. The evenly-matched game offered chances for both sides but the Gunners were angry at two missed penalties.

The match between the first and third team in the table was heated from the opening minute. In total, it offered nine yellow cards, four of them in the first half. And there could have been more, with Joelinton and Granit Xhaka even asking to be sent off.

You could tell he was playing first to third. Both teams pressed very well and defended well overall. As time went on, the home team’s pressure increased, but there was no offensive player on the bench to liven up the game. Mikel Arteta made only one substitution.

But in the end, the Gunners fans and players demanded a penalty twice. First, Gabriel Magalhaes was pulled down in the penalty area.

A seemingly normal fightback from the replay revealed the intensity for which penalty kicks are usually whistled.

Even louder protests occurred in the setup. A centre from the left hand side was stopped by Jacob Murphy, but the head referee let the situation go unnoticed this time too. Arteta was very angry, arguing intensely with the visiting coach Eddie Howe.

“I wouldn’t say one penalty was more than the other. It was two clear penalties, that’s easy,” the Arsenal coach was angry in a post-match interview.

In any case, the Gunners didn’t turn a good performance into a win and will be keeping a close eye on Chelsea’s match against Manchester City on Thursday. At least until then, they have an eight-point lead at the top of the table over the second-placed Citizens.

Source: Sky Sports