Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta heavily criticized referee Anthony Taylor’s decision to award Brighton a penalty in his side’s 1-1 draw with the Seagulls on Saturday.
Ethan Nwaneri fired the visitors into the lead in a cagey duel on the south coast but Arsenal struggled to control the game afterwards. Brighton launched several raids on the pitch, which failed due to a combination of poor decision-making and lapses in concentration.
Joao Pedro finally forced the hosts’ deserved equalizer after an hour. The Brazilian striker took the unusual approach of hurling the ball up at the top of Arsenal’s crowded penalty area, which tempted William Saliba into an unfortunate aerial attack which Taylor punished.
“I have never experienced a decision like this in my career,” groaned Arteta after the frustrating stalemate. “I asked the boys if they had it, but no one had seen it before.”
In slow-motion footage of the freak foul, Saliba appeared to gently touch the ball with his forehead before it hit Pedro’s temple.
“If you look at the incident, the distance, the player, Joao touching the ball and then Saliba touching the ball, you can see the contact there,” Arteta argued. “I looked [with the officials]. After three seconds they said they had already checked. It seems fast.
The on-field referee, Taylor, took his time before pointing to the spot. VAR Darren England quickly confirmed the decision and subsequently said in a Premier League statement that “there was sufficient contact for a penalty”.
Arteta was not impressed. “We are really disappointed with the decision,” concluded the manager. “[Saliba] also touches the ball.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Fabian Hurzeler had a different opinion to Arteta. “It was a clear penalty,” emphasized the Brighton coach. “It’s neck and neck but if it’s another body part, everyone would say it’s a penalty. Joao Pedro puts the ball with his head and Saliba comes late, so it was clear.”