Mikel Arteta expressed his frustration over the penalty decision awarded to Brighton and Hove Albion, which led to Arsenal dropping more points in a 1-1 draw at the AMEX Stadium on Saturday evening. Ethan Nwaneri opened the scoring for the Gunners in the first half, but Joao Pedro equalised from the penalty spot after the break.

The incident occurred when William Saliba mistimed a clearance inside Arsenal's box, inadvertently making contact with Joao Pedro with his head. Referee Anthony Taylor, after careful deliberation, pointed to the spot. A swift VAR review upheld the decision, deeming there was sufficient contact to justify the penalty. Joao Pedro subsequently converted, sending David Raya the wrong way to secure a point for the struggling hosts.

Arsenal fans took to social media to express their outrage, arguing that Saliba made contact with the ball before the clash of heads with Joao Pedro. Shortly after Brighton equalised, the Premier League provided clarification through its Match Centre account on X (formerly Twitter).

The statement read: “The referee’s call of penalty for a foul by Saliba on João Pedro was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed there was sufficient contact for a penalty.”

Following the match, Mikel Arteta voiced his disbelief at the decision, criticising VAR for not overturning Taylor's call. Speaking on the south coast, Arteta remarked:

“Bizarre. That means we have probably never seen it before. I haven’t in my career. So it is a new one.”

He added: “We are really disappointed with the decision that leads to the goal because I have never seen something like this in my life. He touches the ball as well.”

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler, however, firmly disagreed with Arteta’s perspective during an interview with BBC Match of the Day.

He stated: *“We think we deserved more. We had the better chances and weren’t able to score the second goal. In the end, we have to take the positives.

“It was a clear penalty. It is head-to-head contact, but if it was another part of the body, everyone would say it was a penalty. Joao Pedro places the ball with his head, and Saliba comes too late. Therefore, it was a clear one.”

The result means Arsenal have won only three of their last six Premier League matches, with additional draws against Everton and Fulham. Liverpool now have the opportunity to move eight points clear of Arteta's side at the top of the table, holding a game in hand, if they defeat Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.

Arsenal face a demanding run of five consecutive home fixtures across four competitions: Tottenham and Aston Villa in the Premier League, Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, Manchester United in the FA Cup, and Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.