Furious Mikel Arteta blasts TWO penalty decisions after Arsenal’s narrow 1-0 defeat by Inter Milan, insisting Gunners should have had a spot-kick when Mikel Merino was ‘punched in the head’
- Arsenal conceded a penalty after the ball hit Mikel Merino’s hand in the penalty area
- Mikel Arteta criticized the consistency of his performance after Inter’s 1-0 win
- LISTEN NOW: It all begins! available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Mikel Arteta condemned two penalty decisions that went against him as Arsenal’s season went from bad to worse, losing their first Champions League match this season to Inter Milan.
Mikel Merino conceded a penalty on the stroke of half-time after the ball hit his hand from Mehdi Taremi’s strike, while referee Istvan Kovacs pointed to the spot.
And then, earlier in the first half, goalkeeper Yann Sommer accidentally punched Merino in the head as he jumped up to clear the ball from a Gabriel Martinelli cross.
The Gunners are in a difficult period and have now lost two games in a row, following the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle last weekend and the departure of sporting director Edu.
“The worst part of the night is definitely the result, because the dominance, the attitude and the performance we showed in this stadium against one of the best teams in Europe is something I haven’t seen in all the games I’ve seen. said Arteta.
Mikel Arteta admitted he was ‘extremely frustrated’ after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Inter
The Gunners conceded a penalty late in the first half after the ball struck Mikel Merino’s hand
Arteta was furious that Arsenal were not awarded their own penalty when goalkeeper Yann Sommer ‘hit Merino on the head’ and admitted the decision is ‘very difficult to accept’.
‘I am also very frustrated because there were two decisions that determined the course of the match.
‘The concern is the result and that we did not do what we were supposed to do in both boxes. But (of) all the big games we’ve played in Europe, this is by far the best we’ve played in recent years.”
When asked about the punishment awarded, he said: “I don’t understand. It’s just a deflection, there’s no danger at all. You can’t react because the ball is very close. But okay, they decide this is a punishment.
‘But if that is a penalty, then the one on Mikel Merino, where he (goalkeeper Yann Sommer) hits him on the head, has to be a 1000 percent penalty. These are the margins in this game and it is very difficult to accept.”
Kai Havertz left bleeding towards the end with a cut on his head. Arteta confirmed the forward was substituted for stitches and should be ready for their Premier League match against Chelsea next Sunday.
Speaking about this weekend’s match, he added: ‘If we play the way we played, we have a good chance of beating Chelsea. I told them I’m proud of them. I haven’t seen them play like they are now in Europe.’
