Arsenal faced their first league defeat of the season in a controversial match against Newcastle. The game was marred by several contentious decisions, and both Arsenal and Newcastle players narrowly avoided red cards.
Kai Havertz was booked for a wild tackle on Longstaff, which some felt could have warranted a red card. Similarly, Bruno Guimaraes was seen elbowing Arsenal midfielder Jorginho, but it went unnoticed by the on-field referee, and VAR did not intervene.
However, the most significant controversy arose when Anthony Gordon scored to give Newcastle the lead. It appeared that the ball had gone out of play, but Joe Willock managed to keep it in. There were doubts about a possible foul by Joelinton as he rose to meet Willock’s cross, and the ball fell to Gordon, who scored from close range. After a thorough VAR review, the goal was deemed legitimate, which left Arsenal fans in disbelief.
In the aftermath of the match, Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, delivered a fiery post-match press conference in which he strongly criticized the VAR and the decisions made during the game.
Arteta may face consequences for his severe criticism of the Premier League’s officiating situation, but the team made it clear in a statement that they support their manager wholeheartedly.
Mikel Arteta is a complete embarrassment.
It’s not even been a month (!) since he unapologetically sided with the referees and against pushing for improvement. https://t.co/YPf1uL00PF pic.twitter.com/dzxfS7W6zA
— Viktor Fagerström (@ViktorFagerLFC) November 5, 2023
The hypocrisy was quickly exposed by Liverpool supporters, who pointed out that not too long ago, when their team entered the PGMOL following the contentious decisions against Tottenham, several managers, including Arteta, defended the referees, with the manager of Arsenal stating: “They (referees) are trying to make the best decisions.” We must acknowledge that errors are inevitable.
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