Nottingham Forest v Arsenal - Premier League - Source: Getty
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal - Premier League - Source: Getty
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes his side were denied a clear penalty in their goalless draw at Nottingham Forest. The Gunners manager believes that the fine margins could be season-defining, and there was no reason for Ola Aina to go unpunished.
Speaking to the media after the match, Arteta brought up the handball incident in which Aina was seen trying to keep the ball in play by using his hand. The referee's view was blocked, while VAR checked and cleared it, ruling that the ball first hit the Nottingham Forest defender's shoulder and that his hand was in a natural position when it did so.
Arteta was not happy with the decision and said (via GOAL):
"The clear penalty that we cannot forget. That is a clear penalty in the box that's not been given. Those are the margins. I saw it live, I saw it here. I saw it now again. It's very unnecessary but he brings the ball in with his hand."
The Arsenal manager admitted that his side failed to make the most of the four chances they created in the game and said:
"Obviously, we came here to win the game and we haven't managed to do that for different reasons. Credit to them, because they are really well organised and they are really good at breaking momentum when you have certain dominance in the game. But the reality is that we created four massive chances as well with Martinelli an open goal, Declan Rice a tap-in, Mikel and the header of Bukayo, and on top of that, obviously, a very clear penalty in the box that is not given."
"So, without conceding a single shot on target, again, the fact that we haven't won the game is disappointing. On top of that, I think we can do things better, especially in certain attacking areas."
Arsenal missed the chance to go nine points clear of Manchester City in the title race. They are now seven points clear at the top, with Aston Villa having the opportunity to cut it to four points if they beat Everton.
Arsenal did not deserve a penalty, says Nottingham Forest manager
Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche dismissed Mikel Arteta's claims that Arsenal should have got a penalty in the match. He believes that the incident was normal, and if such things result in penalties, the sport is in trouble.
"If these start getting given, we might as well leave it. You never know but I think that's ridiculous. We have to be careful with these. You might as well cancel football if you give that one."
Arsenal travel to face Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League this week, before taking on Manchester United in the Premier League.