Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has said Arsenal can have no complaints with the decision to not award Thomas Partey a stoppage-time penalty against Everton.
Mikel Arteta's side turned in a dominant display against the Premier League strugglers but had to settle for a 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
They key flashpoint for Arsenal came right at the very end of proceedings, when defensive midfielder Partey burst forwards attempting to help his team snatch a late winner.
The Ghanaian's run took him all the way into the Everton penalty area, however, he was halted by the challenge of opposition full-back Vitali Mykolenko, who lunged in to get the ball.
Arsenal players and supporters appealed for a penalty and were left incensed that referee Craig Pawson saw it as a clean challenge. In the dugout, Arteta's reaction was more reserved, refusing to comment on the incident: "I haven’t seen it so I cannot comment."
Giving his fresh verdict, Gallagher hopes to have put this one to bed by stating: "I think Partey realises he’s not going to get the ball and goes down. Mykolenko does get the ball, so not a penalty for me."
Frustration surrounding this decision was not really born from the fact no penalty was awarded, but rather from the result and the wider context of that.
With 76 percent possession plus 13 goal attempts - five of which were on target - Arsenal were unable to break down their opponent. In reaching full-time without a goal, they made it four games on the bounce without scoring a goal from open play in the league.
What's more, there was a significant impact on the developing title race. 10-man Liverpool dropping points to Fulham presented the opportunity to reduce the gap to the league leaders to just four points. Instead it stayed at six, with Arne Slot's side also possessing a game in hand.
Chelsea then beat Brentford to move four points clear in second, leaving Arteta's group with some ground to make up.