Mikel Arteta expressed his fury after VAR overturned a late penalty for Arsenal in their 1-1 Champions League semi-final first leg draw against Atletico Madrid. The Spanish manager described himself as 'incredibly fuming' with the decision that denied his side a potential winning goal.
The incident occurred with 10 minutes remaining when Eberechi Eze was brought down by David Hancko's outstretched leg. Referee Danny Makkelie initially awarded a penalty, but after a lengthy VAR review, he controversially reversed his decision. This was the second VAR intervention that went against Arsenal, following a handball call on Ben White that allowed Julian Alvarez to equalise from the spot earlier in the match.
Arteta did not hide his frustration: 'In the manner that we conceded the penalty, we were disappointed. In the Premier League, it's not a penalty, but here I have to accept that this is handball. But what I'm incredibly fuming with is how the hell the penalty on Eze gets overturned when there is no clear and obvious error? This changes the course of the game. At this level, this cannot happen.'
He added: 'When a referee has to watch it 13 times, what is clear about that? It's impossible and we are all fuming. We need to apply the rules. When you have fought so hard for nine months to be in this position, that goal could have completely changed the tie. It cannot happen.'
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, who had animatedly called for the decision to be overturned, declined to comment on Arteta's remarks. He said: 'I never give my opinion on my colleague's statement. In terms of the first penalty, in my humble opinion, the player feels contact on his back and drops down. In a Champions League semi-final, this cannot be a penalty. The second one was not a penalty. Sometimes VAR plays in your favour, sometimes it doesn't.'
Despite the setback, Arteta remains optimistic about the second leg at the Emirates Stadium next Tuesday. 'I'm very proud of the boys. The way we handled the context for nine-and-a-half months is remarkable. We didn't get the result we wanted, but at least it is in our hands, in front of our people. We want to be in that final, and in a week's time we will have the opportunity to do that.'
The draw leaves the tie finely balanced, with Arsenal seeking to reach their first Champions League final since 2006.
