Arteta laments the penalty decision as Arsenal are held by Brighton
Mikel Arteta said he was “disappointed” with the decision to award Brighton a second-half penalty as Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium on Saturday evening.
Arteta’s side were looking to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool, who play Manchester United on Sunday, but failed to take all three points on the south coast despite taking a first-half lead through teenager Ethan Nwaneri.
The Gunners were pushed back after the break as the hosts staged a spirited comeback. Fabian Hurzeler’s side were rewarded for their efforts when they were awarded a penalty after William Saliba tried to clear the ball but instead caught striker Joao Pedro’s head.
The Brazilian converted the penalty and from there Brighton ended up wasting a few half chances to win the game.
Points split in Brighton.
A chance to quickly turn the page on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/OvxH20cvqa
– Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 4, 2025
But the Gunners boss felt referee Anthony Taylor’s decision to award the penalty was harsh.
“We are disappointed because we wanted to win the game,” Arteta told Sky Sports.
“We started the game with good moves and scored a really good goal. We knew it would be a really competitive and challenging game.
“But we competed. It wasn’t our best day, especially with the ball in the second half. We had so many easy balls away from home that we couldn’t really dominate the game.
“I can’t fault the effort, the intensity and the way we wanted to do it, but the simple things have to be right against a really good team.” Today didn’t meet the requirements to win the game.
“And we are very disappointed with the way he (referee Anthony Taylor) awarded the penalty. I’ve never seen it in my life. For me it’s a clear no.”
A win for Arsenal would have moved them within three points of Liverpool. As it stands, the Gunners are currently five points behind Arne Slot’s side, having played two games more.
But Arteta chose not to dwell on questions about his title rivals and instead focus on his own players.
“Today we wanted to win the game but we didn’t manage to do that,” Arteta added.
“There are definitely things we need to improve. We are also very disappointed with the (penalty) decision and will have to try to be better in the next game.”
Next up for the Gunners is a visit to in-form Newcastle in the first leg of the Carabao semi-final on Tuesday.
