Mikel Arteta accused the referee Andrew Madley of denying Arsenal two “scandalous” penalties after the Premier League leaders could only salvage a goalless draw at home to Newcastle United last night.
The Arsenal manager claimed his team should have been awarded a penalty for a pull on Gabriel’s shirt by Dan Burn before a late Granit Xhaka cross deflected off Jacob Murphy’s arm.
Arteta, who was involved in a verbal altercation with Eddie Howe, the Newcastle head coach, in the final minutes, insisted both incidents should have led to a spot kick for his team.
“There were two scandalous penalties,” Arteta said. “Both of them. It’s not particular [one or the other]. It’s a penalty or not a penalty, and these are both penalties.”
While Arteta was pleased with his side’s overall performance, he thought they were not clinical enough to prise open a stubborn Newcastle defence.
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“I’m really proud of the way we played, the way we dominated the game,” Arteta said. “We lacked that spark in the final third to find the opening. We had a lot of situations around the box to do better.”
The only official VAR check announced at the Emirates Stadium came in the first half — and against Arsenal — when an incident involving Thomas Partey and Burn was reviewed by the officials at Stockley Park. Stuart Attwell, the VAR, opted against advising Madley to check footage on his touchline monitor.
● Frustrating night still sign of clear progress for Mikel Arteta
Howe admitted he would have been calling for Madley to award the handball against Murphy but claimed the cross was too close to his player for him to be punished. “’I don’t remember the first one so I can’t comment on that,” Howe said. “The handball, I think if it was the other way round I’d be shouting for it. Probably not with the belief it should be given because the distance is too tight. I don’t think Jacob’s arm is aloft, it’s by his side. For me that shouldn’t be a penalty.”
Manchester City can close the gap on Arsenal to five points with a victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge when they meet tomorrow. But Arteta rejected suggestions that the result was a setback in their attempts to win a first league title since 2004.
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“It’s not that, it’s not about the feeling,” Arteta said. “I feel the team was on top, we were chasing it, we really wanted it. You could see the team was doing everything to win it.”
Newcastle, meanwhile, kept another clean sheet and have the best defensive record in the league.
Howe also rejected reports that Cristiano Ronaldo could be loaned to Newcastle by Al-Nassr, the Saudi Arabian club at which he was unveiled yesterday, should they qualify for the Champions League this season.
