Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton, and the match left Mikel Arteta fuming and frustrated. This may come at a costly price to Arsenal as they seek to take home the Premier League. Everton’s second-half penalty left the Arsenal manager seething with anger, claiming the decision incorrectly cost his team two points and significantly altered the match’s momentum.
The visitors had begun the game brightly, with Arsenal displaying intensity and dominance in the early stages. Their work was rewarded just after the half-hour, when Leandro Trossard scored the opening goal in the 34th minute. Following a nicely crafted move, Trossard was in space within the Everton box and directed the ball into the net, handing the Gunners a well-deserved lead.
But the momentum changed after halftime when a contentious decision by the referee triggered a dramatic change in the game. Myles Lewis-Skelly was adjudged to have committed a foul on Everton’s Jack Harrison within the box. To the shock of Arsenal, the referee signaled for a penalty, which the hosts were given, and Iliman Ndiaye calmly converted to tie the score.
Arteta did not mince words in protesting the decision.
I’ve watched it 15 times. There’s no way, in my view, that’s a penalty,” he said after the match. “There’s no doubt that aside from that they had nothing but, clearly, that completely changes the momentum and the outcome.
The Gunners manager looked visibly upset, not only because of the contentious penalty award but also for the failure to maintain pressure on league pacesetters Liverpool. With the point, Arsenal fell even further behind in the title race, leaving the door open for Liverpool to take their lead to 14 points when they travel to Fulham on Sunday.
In spite of the equalizer, Arsenal also had opportunities to win the game towards the end. Bukayo Saka made Jordan Pickford make a firm save with a driven attempt, and substitute Gabriel Martinelli threatened to seal a late winner only to shoot over the bar. But they could not turn those opportunities into goals — something that Arteta was quick to admit.
“I believe we were worthy of more, but that is what we received in the end,” he said. “We created two huge opportunities to win the game, we failed to capitalize on them, so we must accept the point.”
Arteta reaffirmed his comments on the penalty, standing over what he believed was an evident refereeing blunder that proved costly to his team. “There is not enough contact and the contact starts outside. Inside there is nothing,” he went on.
The penalty incident took center stage in post-match debate, particularly considering the minimal contact involved. Numerous fans and pundits expressed Arteta’s indignation on social media, wondering how a light foul could lead to such a game-changing decision — especially in a title-deciding match.
The outcome provides Arsenal with having lost points from a game that they were predictably expected to win all three. Their showing, for significant parts of the game, was polished and pacey — yet once again, as has repeatedly been the trend in recent times, a case of lack of clinical finishing combined with an opportune moment of bad luck also cost them once more.
Everton, however, will be satisfied with the point, even though their performance wasn’t as high as Arsenal’s. The Toffees didn’t create much over the 90 minutes and were grateful to be given a lifeline via the penalty. Nevertheless, they made the most of it and hung on for the draw, demonstrating defensive determination when it was most needed.
The game is the latest on a mounting list of times that Arsenal have lost crucial points in their title bid. With Liverpool now in their stride and not showing any signs of letting up, every point matters — and performances like this are beginning to put pressure on Arteta and his team to be more consistent in converting strong performances into victories.
For Arteta, the feeling of injustice will remain — particularly when he believes that the result was greatly determined by a wrong decision. But there will also be an inner recognition that lost opportunities continue to plague his team.
The room for error diminishes as the season winds down. Arsenal now has to accept that they have to play nearly flawlessly in the remaining games to remain ahead of Liverpool and keep their chances alive to win the league for the first time in over 20 years.
It is yet to be seen whether this game will be remembered for the disputed penalty or as the moment when Arsenal’s hopes of winning the title finally began to slip. But Arteta’s frustration is clear for now, and the Gunners do not have much time to sulk as they prepare for another vital encounter next week.
