Home » Arsenal boss Arteta hits out penalty call in loss to Inter

Arsenal boss Arteta hits out penalty call in loss to Inter

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was left irate after a controversial penalty led to his side’s 1-0 loss to Inter Milan in the Champions League.

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Arteta slams penalty call

The game’s only goal came just before halftime when Inter was awarded a penalty after Mikel Merino was penalized for a handball.

Earlier in the match, Merino had a penalty appeal of his own turned down after claiming Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer punched him in the head while they contested a cross.

Hakan Calhanoglu converted the penalty, effectively securing Inter’s victory at Stadio San Siro.

“I don’t understand [the handball decision],” said Arteta.

“There is no danger at all. You cannot react because the ball is very close. But OK. They decide that is a penalty.

“But if that is a penalty then the one on Mikel Merino where he punches him in the head has to be a penalty 1000 percent. These are the margins in this game and it’s very difficult to accept.

“We were told at the start of the season that wasn’t a penalty. That was clear. Today it was a different story.”

“The best one that we played in the last few years.”

The loss leaves Arsenal 12th in the Champions League table.

The Gunner also fall to their third defeat in six games across all competitions.

Despite the Inter defeat, Arteta commended his squad for playing their best football so far in Europe.

Arsenal will visit Chelsea on Sunday for their Premiere League clash.

“All the big games we have played in Europe, this is by far the best one that we played in the last few years,” he said.

“If we play the way we played, we have a good chance to win against Chelsea.”