Arteta fumes over “never a penalty” call as Arsenal draws at Everton

• Arsenal were denied a crucial away win at Everton after a controversial second-half penalty led to a 1-1 draw.
• Mikel Arteta has vehemently disagreed with the penalty, claiming it was “never a penalty” and derailed his team’s second-half rhythm.
• Despite the draw, Arsenal trimmed Liverpool’s lead at the top to 11 points but have now played a game more than their rivals.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed strong dissatisfaction after a controversial penalty call cost his side a crucial win in their 1-1 draw against Everton. 

The Gunners had taken a first-half lead but were pegged back early in the second half by a decision Arteta described as game-altering and simply incorrect.

The match, played at Goodison Park, saw Leandro Trossard fire Arsenal ahead in the 34th minute after a swift counter-attack play by Raheem Sterling. Arsenal carried that momentum into the break, seemingly in control against a physical Everton side. 

However, within minutes of the restart, the game's intensity changed. A contact between Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly and Everton’s Jack Harrison led referee Darren England to point to the spot, ruling that the young full-back had committed a foul inside the area. 

The incident had started outside the box, with Lewis-Skelly misjudging the bounce of a long ball and colliding with Harrison during his recovery. 

Nonetheless, VAR reviewed and confirmed the penalty decision, with Premier League Match Centre later posting on X (formerly Twitter) that the contact was sufficient and occurred within the area.

Arteta, however, was far from convinced. Speaking to the press after the match, he labelled the decision “never a penalty” and suggested it had robbed Arsenal of the opportunity to build momentum in the second half, 

“The start of the second half was very poor… Then the decision of the penalty comes. For me, it is never a penalty, the timing was really bad… the game became really different,” he said.

Despite the frustration, the result meant Arsenal narrowed Liverpool’s lead at the top to 11 points, although The Gunners have now played one game more than the league leaders. It was also Arsenal’s 11th draw of the season, a stat that increasingly haunts their title challenge.

Lewis-Skelly, still new to Premier League intensity, faced a harsh lesson, while Arteta's concern extended beyond one decision. He hinted more on the issue of inconsistency in the team’s play and their inability to control direct, physical opponents like Everton for a full 90 minutes.

Rivals should be scared as Saka unveils major agenda for Arsenal

Previously, TheRadar reported that Arsenal’s effort toward claiming silverware saw a major boost as they secured a Carabao Cup semi-final spot with a hard-fought victory over Crystal Palace. 

Bukayo Saka came off the bench to provide a pivotal assist and later declared that the Gunners are “ready to compete for every trophy” this season.