Mikel Arteta was left fuming after Arsenal’s narrow defeat to Inter Milan, with the Gunners boss feeling his side were denied a clear penalty before conceding a “soft” spot-kick at the other end.
The match was a tightly contested affair, with both teams creating chances but struggling to find the breakthrough. However, the turning point came when Inter Milan were awarded a penalty with just minutes remaining on the clock.
Arteta was furious with the decision, believing the foul to be minimal and not worthy of a spot-kick. His anger would only grow as his side conceded from the resulting penalty, effectively ending their chances of getting a result.
But Arteta’s frustrations didn’t stop there. The Arsenal boss also felt his side should have had a penalty of their own, pointing to a crucial moment in the match where one of his players was brought down in the box.
“We should have had a penalty, it’s clear,” Arteta said in his post-match interview. “The player was pulled down and it was a stonewall penalty. But these are the decisions that can change games, and unfortunately for us, it didn’t go our way.”
Arteta’s comments were echoed by the Arsenal players, who also felt they had been denied a clear penalty. The team’s captain expressed his disappointment, saying, “We knew it was going to be a tough game, but we felt we had the better chances. To not get the penalty we deserved was a big blow.”
Despite the disappointment, Arsenal can take heart from their performance. The team showed grit and determination, and were unlucky not to come away with a result.
However, for Arteta, the defeat serves as a reminder of the challenges that lie ahead. The Gunners boss knows that his team must learn to win these tight matches if they are to achieve their goals this season.