Mikel Arteta was left furious with the decision not to award Arsenal a penalty in their Champions League clash against Inter Milan, insisting Mikel Merino was ‘punched in the head’ by goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
The Gunners fell to a 1-0 defeat at San Siro with Hakan Calhanoglu converting a penalty on the stroke of half-time to seal all three points for the hosts.
Merino was judged to have handled the ball as an Inter free kick was launched into the box with Mehdmi Taremi’s flick on cannoning off the Spaniard’s arm.
But with the Arsenal midfielder in such close proximity to the ball, it appeared there was nothing he could do to get his arm out of the way in time.
Arsenal were furious to see a spot kick awarded having seen their own appeals for a penalty turned away 15 minutes earlier.
It was the same man involved with Merino rising to meet a cross, caught by the onrushing Sommer who missed the ball as he came out to claim.
While there was a VAR check, play continued with Arteta believing it was ‘100 per cent’ a foul on his midfielder.
‘I feel like we were really harshly done tonight,’ Arteta told TNT Sports.
‘Especially if you are going to give the other penalty in the other box the other has to be because he [Sommer] punches him [Merino] in the head.’
On Inter’s penalty incident, Arteta continued: ‘It’s not a shot, it is just a deflection there is no danger in the box, there is nothing you can do, the ball is very close to your body.
‘There is nothing you can do to get away from it. So if you give that one the other one 100 per cent has to be a penalty.’
Arteta added in his post-match press conference: ‘I don’t understand. There is no danger at all. You cannot react because the ball is very close. They decide that is a penalty.
‘But if that is a penalty then the one on Mikel Merino where he punches him in the head has to be a penalty 100%. These are the margins in this game and it’s very difficult to accept.’
Arsenal suffered their first loss in four games in Europe this season, leaving them 12th in the 36-team league.
Their focus will now shift to another tough test on the road with the Gunners heading to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea on Sunday.
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