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Mikel Arteta expressed his anger after a penalty awarded to Arsenal was overturned in their match against Atletico. The tie is now level as the teams head back to London.
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āCannot happenā Arteta furious at overturned Arsenal penalty v Atletico
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Mikel Arteta was left furious after Arsenal had a second-half penalty overturned by VAR in their Champions League semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid, with the manager insisting the decision ācannot happenā after a 1-1 draw in Spain.
Arsenal left Madrid with a credible result, but the sense of frustration was obvious. In a match shaped by fine margins, Artetaās side believed they had been given the chance to retake control of the tie when Bukayo Saka found Eberechi Eze in the box and the Arsenal attacker went down after being clipped as he turned. The referee initially pointed to the spot, only for VAR to intervene and recommend an on-field review.
After watching the incident repeatedly, the referee reversed his decision, a call that left Arsenal angered, particularly after Atletico had already been awarded a penalty when the ball struck Ben Whiteās hand.
The referee reversed the original decision, leading to Mikel Arteta's frustration.
Arteta stated that Arsenal were 'fuming' about the referee's decision.
The tie is now level, meaning Arsenal will need to perform well in the second leg to advance.
The second leg will take place in North London, but the exact date is not specified.

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Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
That decision was harsh by the standards of the Premier League, but Arteta accepted that it fell within the stricter European interpretation. What he could not accept was the decision to overturn Arsenalās penalty when he felt there was no clear and obvious error.
āThe decision and then what happens for a period of time,ā Arteta said. āThe referee has to watch it 13 times ā itās clearer than that. Itās impossible, and yeah, we are all fuming about it.ā
Asked whether the reaction from the Atletico crowd and bench had influenced the decision, Arteta rejected that suggestion, but made clear he felt the rules had not been applied consistently.
āThat has nothing to do with that,ā he said. āIām sure they are very well aware of what the reaction is going to be. Itās normal, that reaction, we need to apply the rules.
āThe same thing that Iām saying, that they applied the rules on Ben Whiteās penalty, that is difficult to accept, but it is a penalty with a handbook. And what they said at the beginning of the season, Ebs is a clear and very obvious penalty. Thatās it.ā
Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images
Arteta was also asked whether the VAR process itself needed to be examined, but he focused instead on the decision and the way it was changed.
āI donāt know, thatās their job. They have a process, and whatever they do, they should believe itās the right thing. I have nothing to say. Iām just saying, Iām just judging the action and the manner that happens and the way it got overturned.ā
The Arsenal manager was especially frustrated by the importance of the moment. At 1-1, a penalty would have given his side the chance to leave Madrid with a first-leg lead before the return at the Emirates.
āYes, but when you have fought so hard for nine months to be in this position, thatās another goal that changed completely in the course of the tie, and it cannot happen ā Iām sorry,ā Arteta said. āWe put so much on it, so, so, so much on it. This cannot happen.ā
Asked whether Arsenal would complain to UEFA, Arteta said the club would have to decide, while admitting there was no way of changing the immediate consequence of the call.
Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images
āI donāt know, Iāll leave that to the club to decide whatās the best thing to do. Now theyāre not going to give us a penalty. Thatās gone, and thatās it. Letās talk about football.ā
Arteta was also asked whether the referee needed to be stronger in sticking with his decision once he had awarded the penalty.
āIām not here to judge the process, itās their process,ā he replied.
āItās a decision that they clear. Okay, they stick to it, because thatās the rules. What does it mean coaching the players to accept that? When there is something different, when you play in the same part of the Champions League and change it, it cannot happen.ā
For all the anger, Arteta still took pride in Arsenalās performance. They avoided defeat in one of Europeās most hostile environments and will return home knowing victory in London would send them to the Champions League final.
The manager made clear that, despite the frustration, his players had kept themselves alive in the tie.
āIām very proud, I said that to the boys,ā he said.
āWeāve handled any kind of context for nine and a half months, which is remarkable. I really value what theyāve done because Iāve seen some of the best teams in the world fall apart here.
āWe didnāt get the result that we wanted. The way we planned the game, we wanted to win it, but at least itās in our hands, in front of our people, to be in that final. And in a weekās time, weāre going to have the opportunity to do so.ā