Arsenal deservedly defeated world champions Chelsea in their own backyard last night but it was not a win without controversy.
Arsenal led 3-2 with just minutes to go when Chelsea defender César Azpilicueta was adjudged to have pulled down Bukayo Saka in the penalty area and the ref awarded a penalty to the Gunners.
That decision sparked a furious reaction from Azpilicueta, who was convinced that he was the one being fouled.
VAR reviewed the decision and agreed with the ref and the decision to award a penalty was upheld.
Replays did show that Saka had hold of Azpilicueta’s arm but the defender’s arm did not get there via some form of magic, it was put across Saka by Azpilicueta in the first place and so it was the right call from the officials, it was all initiated by the Blues defender.
Saka was asked about the controversy and Azpilicueta angry reaction and while he understood the reaction, he also maintained it was a penalty.
“I’m trying to get into the box and he’s holding me for about 5 seconds,” he told Sky Sports as quoted by Eurosport. “I have to go down.
“Of course he’s going to be angry at me, if I was him I’d be angry but it s what it is and I think it was a penalty.
“The ref didn’t overturn it, so it definitely was a penalty.”
Just Arsenal says
Anyone criticising the penalty decision really is being cheeky. No club suffers controversial decisions like Arsenal and if one goes our way then good, it is about time.
Azpilicueta committed the first foul and Saka milked it, good on him, about time our players became a little streetwise.