- Arsenal conceded a penalty after the ball struck Mikel Merino’s hand in the box
- Mikel Arteta slammed the consistency of officiating after Inter’s 1-0 triumph
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Mikel Arteta slammed two penalty decisions which went against his side as Arsenal’s season went from bad to worse, losing their first Champions League match this season to Inter Milan.
Mikel Merino conceded a penalty on the stroke of half-time after the ball struck his hand off Mehdi Taremi’s strike, with referee Istvan Kovacs pointing to the spot.
And then, earlier in the first half, goalkeeper Yann Sommer accidently punched Merino in the head as he jumped up to clear the ball off a Gabriel Martinelli cross.
The Gunners are in a difficult period having now lost two consecutive matches, following the 1-0 defeat by Newcastle last weekend, and the departure of sporting director Edu.
‘The worst thing of the night for sure is the result because the dominance, the attitude and the performance we showed against one of the best teams in Europe in this stadium I haven’t seen it in all the games that I’ve watched,’ said Arteta.
‘I’m extremely frustrated as well because there are two decisions that marked the course of the game.
‘The concern is the result and that in both boxes we didn’t do what we have to do. But (in) all the big games we have played in Europe, this is by far the best one that we’ve played in the last few years.’
When asked about the penalty conceded, he said: ‘I don’t understand. It is just a deflection, there is no danger at all. You cannot react because the ball is very close. But OK, they decide that is a penalty.
‘But if that is a penalty then the one on Mikel Merino where he (goalkeeper Yann Sommer) punches him in the head has to be a penalty 1000 per cent. These are the margins in this game and it’s very difficult to accept.’
Kai Havertz went off towards the end bleeding with a cut on his head. Arteta confirmed the forward was substituted off for stitches and should be ready for their Premier League match against Chelsea this Sunday.
On this weekend’s clash, he added: ‘If we play the way we played, we have a good chance to win against Chelsea. I told them I’m proud of them. I haven’t seen them play in Europe in the manner they have today.’
