- Bukayo Saka was outraged that Arsenal were not given an injury time penalty
- It looked like Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had brought down Saka
- Have Liverpool been mentally torpedoed by Man United? Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Bukayo Saka and his Arsenal teammates were left furious after being denied a penalty at the end of their Champions League draw against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Substitute Leandro Trossard scored the Gunners’ equalizer fifteen minutes from time but there were calls that they would have a chance to take a lead in next week’s second leg.
Saka burst into the Germans’ penalty area and appeared to have rounded goalkeeper Manuel Neuer until the shot-stopper brought him down – and the referee quickly waved him off.
Sake was seen facing the Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg after the whistle was blown, but the incident left the experts divided on whether the right decision was made or not.
TNT Sports pundits Rio Ferdinand and Martin Keown were in disbelief at the referee’s decision not to award a penalty to Arsenal.
Bukayo Saka was outraged that Arsenal were not awarded a penalty in injury time against Bayern
Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer appeared to take down Saka, but the referee waved it away
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Former Arsenal defender Keown said: ‘Neuer actually goes towards that ball, he comes out and takes on the challenge. For me that is a punishment all day long.’
Ferdinand added in disbelief: ‘Why isn’t that given? With VAR, with everything, I can’t believe that wasn’t given.’
He felt that Saka was Arsenal’s “most dangerous player”, and that the Gunners had played “so well” at times during the 2–2 draw, noting that “they were the team that pushed towards the end to get the result achieve’.
However, in his commentary, Ally McCoist accused Saka of ‘throwing his foot in’, before adding: ‘The referee may have got that right because I don’t think Saka needs to throw his right leg into him.’
The Scottish football icon added: ‘He was certainly there first, but there is an element – he throws his right leg into him.’
Immediately after the match, Trossard told TNT Sports: ‘On the field it looked like a penalty to me. I didn’t see the replay, but to me it looked like it was a clear contact.”
Leandro Trossard, who scored Arsenal’s second goal, said he felt it was a penalty
The match ended 2-2, leaving the match well balanced for next Wednesday’s second leg at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
Saka and Trossard scored Arsenal’s goals, with either side of Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane scoring for Bayern Munich, the latter from the penalty spot.