Mikel Arteta was left seething after Arsenal were denied a penalty in their UEFA Champions League defeat to Inter Milan, claiming that his player Mikel Merino was “punched in the head” by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Also Read: UCL Match Report! Inter vs Arsenal Match Updates, News and Scores (6th November, 2024)
The Gunners fell to a 1-0 loss at the San Siro, with Hakan Calhanoglu converting a penalty in first-half stoppage time to give Inter all three points.
The incident that sparked Arteta’s anger came when Merino appeared to be struck in the head by Sommer, who had rushed out to challenge for a high ball. While the goalkeeper missed the ball entirely, he made contact with Merino’s head, which Arteta firmly believed should have resulted in a penalty for his side.
Despite a VAR review, the decision to award a penalty for Sommer’s challenge was not made, much to Arteta’s dismay.
In the build-up to the game’s only penalty, Merino had been judged to have handled the ball from an Inter free-kick that was flicked on by Mehdi Taremi. However, given the close proximity between Merino and the ball, Arteta felt that it was unreasonable to expect the midfielder to avoid the ball hitting his arm.
Arteta went on to criticize the inconsistency of the refereeing decisions, pointing out that, if Inter’s penalty had been awarded for such a close-range handball, then Sommer’s physical contact with Merino should have been given the same consideration.
Arteta voiced his frustration during a TNT Sports interview after the match, saying: “I feel like we were really harshly done tonight. Especially if you are going to give the other penalty, the one in the other box has to be because he [Sommer] punches him [Merino] in the head.”
He continued, emphasizing the inconsistency: “It’s not a shot, it’s just a deflection. There is no danger in the box, there is nothing you can do, the ball is very close to your body.”
The Arsenal manager added in his post-match press conference: “I don’t understand. There is no danger at all. You cannot react because the ball is very close. They decide that is a penalty.
But if that is a penalty, then the one on Mikel Merino where he punches him in the head has to be a penalty 100%. These are the margins in this game, and it’s very difficult to accept.”
The loss marked Arsenal’s first defeat in four European matches this season, leaving them in 12th place in their Champions League group. The team will now look to bounce back from this disappointment with a tough away trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Sunday.