Mikel Arteta described the decision to award Sunderland a penalty as “absolutely unacceptable” despite Arsenal maintaining their perfect start to the season with a 2-0 victory.
Arsenal endured another difficult test but eventually secured the win through Bruno Guimaraes and Bukayo Saka. David Raya also played a key role by saving the Sunderland penalty, while Arteta praised his team for responding strongly to the setback.
Arteta criticizes Sunderland's penalty decision
Arteta said he was extremely pleased with another victory after a demanding week that included matches against Chelsea and Napoli. He acknowledged that Arsenal had enjoyed good periods but failed to score, allowing Sunderland to make the game difficult with a physical and direct approach.
The Arsenal manager was particularly angry about the penalty decision, insisting that such an incident should never have resulted in a spot-kick at this level. He said he was “very worried and very sad” about the decision and its potential consequences for the match.
Arteta believed Ezri Konsa had done nothing wrong in the incident and questioned why VAR had not overturned the decision. He described the action as a “judo roll” by the opponent and argued that the available technology should have protected the game.
David Raya saves a penalty for Arsenal
Arteta praised David Raya for making the crucial save after Sunderland were awarded the penalty. The goalkeeper's intervention prevented the decision from changing the momentum of the match and gave Arsenal the opportunity to recover.
The manager was also impressed by the way his players reacted to the setback. He highlighted their determination to continue pushing forward despite the difficult circumstances and ultimately secure another victory.
Arsenal went on to settle the contest with two goals, as Bruno Guimaraes and Bukayo Saka found the net. The result preserved the team's 100% winning record this season.
Arsenal wins as Arteta calls for game protection
Although Arteta was pleased with Arsenal's response, he stressed that his criticism was not solely about protecting his own team. He said the issue concerned the wider game and the need for officials and VAR to take responsibility.
“I loved the save from David, the way the team reacted, and the way we go again and we go against everything,” Arteta said, while maintaining that the penalty decision should never have happened.
Arteta reiterated that he was speaking publicly because he believed the incident was about fairness in football rather than Arsenal alone. He described the decision as unfair and said he was “very sad” about what had occurred.