“They say we’re already out of the title race, I don’t blame them, I blame Arteta for starting him again today”- Angry William Saliba angrily tells Mikel Arteta that he’s sick and tired of playing with £90k-p/w teammate after costing them THREE points against Brighton
“They say we’re already out of the title race, I don’t blame them, I blame Arteta for starting him again today”- Angry William Saliba angrily tells Mikel Arteta that he’s sick and tired of playing with £90k-p/w teammate after costing them THREE points against Brighton
Arsenal are in action in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night however, the Gunners are still recovering from their draw with Brighton.
Mikel Arteta’s side dropped points once again in the Premier League, failing to capitalise on Liverpool also missing out on three points.
It was a frustrating result for Arsenal, made even more infuriating by Anthony Taylor’s decision to award Brighton a controversial penalty in the 1-1 draw.
Arteta was furious with Brighton’s penalty call, as Joao Pedro levelled the scoring to ultimately see the points shared at the Amex.
William Saliba opens up to Arsenal teammates about Brighton’s penalty
Of course, there’s the matter that the penalty shouldn’t have seen points dropped, as Arsenal were unable to win the game in 90 minutes.
Still, Arteta has the right to be angry about the decision, as the penalty was awarded for a clashing of heads between William Saliba and Pedro.
Gary Lineker said he’d ‘never seen’ a penalty given for such offence, as Saliba was left bewildered by Taylor’s onfield decision, which was then backed up by VAR.
For those watching, it was clear that the Frenchman made contact with the ball, which is something he emphasised to his Arsenal teammates after the game.
Speaking to Football London, Riccardo Calafiori recited a conversation he’d had with Saliba following the incident.
“I couldn’t see it to be honest, in the moment, he [Saliba] said he touched the ball I think before, but as I say I never saw it.”
The decision was a bizarre one considering that the defender didn’t intend to clash heads with Pedro, made even more puzzling as he made contact with the ball.
On the flip side, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler thought it was a clear penalty, hitting back at Arteta’s comments on the incident.
Arsenal drop more points in Premier League title race
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, as many watched Liverpool draw against Manchester United thinking what could have been for Arsenal had they secured three points at the Amex.
Instead, it was another instance of the Gunners performing below par and not putting the game to bed, leaving with a single point that represented their seventh draw of the campaign.
The title race remains in Liverpool’s control, with Arne Slot’s side sitting six points and a game in hand above Arsenal.
It’s yet another blow for Arteta’s squad, who must start to learn from their mistakes if they are to take Liverpool to the wire.
