Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes Everton should not have been awarded the penalty from which they scored their equalising goal in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.
Iliman Ndiaye netted from the spot in the 49th minute to cancel out Leandro Trossard’s opener to earn Everton a point, after Jack Harrison went to ground under pressure from Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Arteta was critical of the decision after the game and suggested that Everton defender Jake O’Brien could have been sent off for a second yellow card having blocked Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya’s quick throw out having already been booked.
“That changes the course of the game, which I’m here to give my opinion,” Arteta said in his post-match press conference. “I’ve seen it 15 times, there’s no way, in my opinion, that’s a penalty.
“Because if there is, then O’Brien has to be out and Everton has to play with 10 men, that’s clear. After that again, we dominated the game. We didn’t get too much momentum because he’s constantly breaking the play and a big part of that was down to us, because after direct play we get very cheap free-kicks away.
“We had two big chances to win the game, we didn’t convert them, so we have to accept the point.”
Arteta rejected suggestions that refereeing decisions were responsible for Arsenal sitting 11 points behind league leaders Liverpool, who have played one game fewer, but said referee Darren England’s call had a material impact on Saturday’s result.
“There’s no question that apart from that they had nothing, but obviously, that changes completely the momentum and the results.”
Arsenal return to action on Tuesday with a home game against Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie before returning to Premier League action on April 12 at home to Brentford.
(Jack Harrison of Everton and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis Skelly: Carl Recine/Getty Images)