From Malay Mail · · 2m
Arteta wins, then goes to war with VAR
Arsenal won 2-0 at Sunderland and stayed top, yet their manager left the Stadium of Light talking about one penalty he still cannot explain.
In brief
Arsenal won 2-0 at Sunderland and stayed top, yet their manager left the Stadium of Light talking about one penalty he still cannot explain. Arsenal are four from four and three points clear, but the story of the night was a £75m substitute finally paying off and a manager who thinks the officials are already shaping…
A win, and a grievance
Arsenal beat Sunderland 2-0 on Saturday. Mikel Arteta still said the penalty given against his side could cost them the Premier League title.
“that changes the course of the season and it can cost you the championship”
The call that started it
Early in the second half, Ezri Konsa was penalised for wrestling Dan Ballard to the ground inside the Arsenal box. Sunderland had a chance to lead.
Both men were pulling
Pictures showed Ballard had hold of Konsa too as the pair went down together. Arteta was furious that VAR let the on-field decision stand.
Raya makes it moot
Enzo Le Fee stepped up and David Raya saved it brilliantly. The decision that enraged Arteta cost Arsenal nothing on the scoreboard.
Guimaraes breaks the deadlock
Two minutes after the save, Bruno Guimaraes blasted Arsenal in front with his first goal for the club, silencing the Sunderland fans who had been aiming abuse at the former Newcastle captain.
Saka kills it off
Guimaraes then slid Bukayo Saka through on goal. Saka was chopped down, got up, and buried the stoppage-time penalty himself.
“The goal is incredible and the assist as well to Bukayo to put him through in front of goal”
The £75m substitute
Arsenal's big signing of the window has yet to start a game, with Arteta sticking to Myles Lewis-Skelly alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard. Guimaraes came on at half-time and changed the match.
“The personality that he has. He comes in and this is a special game for him as well”
Twenty rewatches, no answer
Arteta said he had watched the incident 20 times and still could not follow the logic. His complaint was less about one call than about what it does to a season.
“I watched it 20 times and I cannot find a way to understand how they think to give a penalty in that situation”
Four from four
The defending champions have won every Premier League game so far and sit three points clear at the top.
The headline
Arsenal are four from four and three points clear, but the story of the night was a £75m substitute finally paying off and a manager who thinks the officials are already shaping the title race.
