Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal should have been awarded a “clear penalty” for Ola Aina’s handball incident in the goalless draw at Nottingham Forest, saying the PGMO’s explanation of why a penalty was not awarded was “incorrect”.
Late in the game, Aina appeared to use his arms to maneuver the ball near the byline, trying to contain it before conceding a corner.
Despite Gabriel Jesus’ protests, referee Michael Oliver made no decision on the field, but VAR’s Darren England, who looked closely at the incident, said the ball “left Aina’s shoulder first” and that his arm was in a “natural position”.
“It was a clear penalty that I will never forget. It was a clear penalty in the penalty box that was not awarded. That was a margin,” Arteta told TNT Sports after the match.
Aina appeared to be handling the ball trying not to concede a corner.
“I saw it live, I saw it here, and now I see it again. He brings the ball in with his hands, which is very unnecessary.”
Arteta disputed the PGMO’s explanation that there should not be a penalty because the ball touched Aina’s shoulder first, saying it was “incorrect” and said the touch on Aina’s shoulder was irrelevant given the “intention” of the arm movement.
“They were right, it hit him in the shoulder, and he took the ball away with his hands,” Arteta told a press conference.
“The explanation is not correct. Other than that, the order (of the blows) is fine. The timing and the player’s intention are very clear. Otherwise, I wouldn’t sit here and say, in my opinion, this is a very clear penalty.”
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Arsenal.
Dyche: “If they gave that as a penalty, then soccer should be stopped.”
Forest manager Sean Dyche branded the appeal for a penalty “ridiculous” and said football should be “stopped” if penalties were awarded for incidents like Aina’s.
“If we start giving these things, we might want to stop doing them,” Deish said.
“Who knows, but I think it’s stupid. We have to be careful about these things. If we give it up, we might as well stop playing football.”
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal were denied a ‘clear penalty’ against Nottingham Forest
Dyche also felt Forest should have taken their own penalty after Julian Timber fouled Callum Hudson-Odoi in front of the box.
Timber appeared to clip Hudson-Odoi near the penalty area line and there was also contact between the two as the Forest winger entered the box. Referee Oliver awarded a free kick rather than a penalty, and VAR England deferred the decision.
“What about ours?” said Daish. “It was just on the line of the box. They’re staying outside but he’s flying as fast as he can and getting into the box. He’ll get there.”
