Mikel Arteta was left furious after Arsenal had a penalty controversially overturned in against Atletico Madrid.
With the score at 1-1 in the 78th minute of their semi-final first leg, the Gunners were awarded a penalty when Eberechi Eze went down inside the box after David Hancko's challenge.
Eberechi Eze was stunned after he initially appeared to have won Arsenal a decisive penalty
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Eberechi Eze was stunned after he initially appeared to have won Arsenal a decisive penaltyCredit: Getty
The Gunners star went down after his foot was clipped by David Hancko
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The Gunners star went down after his foot was clipped by David Hancko
Replays showed Eze getting a toe on the ball before Hancko could get there, who appeared to catch the Arsenal star late, sending him to ground.
Referee Danny Makkelie immediately pointed to the spot, with Mikel Arteta's side being given a huge chance to go 2-1 up.
But there was a twist in store, as Makkelie was then instructed to review the decision at the VAR monitor,
Atletico boss Diego Simeone could be seen protesting on the touchline while the official took his time watching replays.
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Makkelie then returned from the monitor to announce he had overturned the penalty decision, leaving Arsenal's players in disbelief, and being forced to settle for a draw ahead of next Tuesday's second leg.
Arteta slams 'wrong decision'
This proved a hugely controversial call, and Gunners boss Arteta was unable to hide his fury in his post-match interview.
Asked about the penalty, he fumed: "The decision getting overturned, extremely disappointed.
“It was against the rules, I don't understand it and it changes the course of the tie.
"Very, very upset... it's clear contact, you cannot overturn the decision when you need to look at the incident 13 times. It's unacceptable."
Pressed on whether the referee was influenced by the crowd, Arteta replied: "I don't know, that's a question for him.
Mikel Arteta against Atletico Madrid
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Arteta was adamant Makellie had come to the wrong decision
Atletico Madrid players protest Arsenal's overturned penalty
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Atletico's players surrounded referee Makellie after he initially awarded a penaltyCredit: AFP
The official eventually disallowed the penalty after watching replays at the VAR monitor
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The official eventually disallowed the penalty after watching replays at the VAR monitorCredit: Getty
"But it was the wrong decision and has changed the course of the tie."
Penalty outrage
The disallowed penalty also had talkSPORT commentators Darren Bent and Jim Proudfoot scratching their heads.
Reacting to the on-field decision, Bent said: "It can't be. The amount of time it took… you knew he was going to overturn it.
"There's clear contact. Even though it's minimal.
"But that can't be right to overturn it. It was like they were looking for reasons not to give it. It's not clear and obvious."
Proudfoot was even more strong in his assessment, who weighed in: "I'm quite sure that's the wrong decision.
"If it takes that long, then it quite clearly isn't a clear and obvious error.
"That's garbage. That's rubbish."
It didn't take long for people to weigh in with their reaction on social media, including Arsenal legend Ian Wright.
The former Gunners forward was left enraged by the penalty controversy, blasting the call online.
Taking to X, Wright shared three swearing emojis and wrote: "Knew he'd buckle! Home side gets that pen!"
Attached to Wright's post was a screenshot of Atleti defender David Hancko making clear contact with Eze's foot.
Ben White also conceded a penalty in controversial fashion
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Ben White also conceded a penalty in controversial fashionCredit: Getty
Arsenal's disallowed penalty wasn't the only refereeing decision that left the away side furious.
After Viktor Gyokeres gave the Gunners the lead from the spot in the first half, Atletico levelled things up 10 minutes into the second period with a penalty of their own from Julian Alvarez.
However, the decision to award the spot-kick proved controversial.
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Ben White had rushed to the edge of the penalty area to close down Marcos Llorente's volley, only for the ball to strike his trailing arm.
While this was initially missed by the referee, a VAR check ensued, with Makkelie ultimately awarding Atleti a penalty.