ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta is adamant his side should have been awarded a penalty after Bukayo Saka went down under a challenge from Reece James during their defeat to Chelsea.
The Gunners were brushed aside 2-0 by their London rivals at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
But Arteta believes his side deserved a route back into the game five minutes before half-time when Saka hit the deck.
The 19-year-old attempted to scamper onto a through ball but got his legs tangled with Chelsea defender James.
Both of the England internationals ended up on the floor and Saka swiftly turned to see what decision referee Paul Tierney was going to give.
But the official waved away Arsenal protests and VAR supported the on-field call.
However, an aggrieved Arteta felt totally different after the final whistle.
The Gunners boss was asked during his post-match press conference whether he thought it was a penalty.
To which he simply replied: “Yes. Clear.”
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If a spot kick had been awarded it would have given the hosts the lifeline they desperately needed after 40 minutes of Chelsea dominance.
Romelu Lukaku needed just 14 minutes to find the back of the net on his second debut for Chelsea.
And full-back James doubled Thomas Tuchel’s side’s lead ten minutes before the break, finishing off a sweeping move to give the visitors clear daylight.
Rob Holding went closest for Arsenal in the second half, before Gunners keeper Bernd Leno prevented a third for Chelsea with a sensational stop to deny Lukaku a brace.
The defeat means Arsenal have now lost their first two games of the season having already gone down 2-0 to Brentford on the opening day.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
