Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta slams refereeing decisions after Inter Milan loss

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has slammed the refereeing decisions during the 1-0 loss to Inter Milan in the Champions League on November 6, Wednesday. Inter got a penalty in the dying moments of the first half and converted it to seal the win.

In Short

• Arsenal were not given a penalty in the first half when Merino was tackled by Sommer
• Arteta said he was extremely frustrated by the result as Arsenal played well
• Arteta feels Arsenal can beat Chelsea if they produce the same performance as against Inter

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was left fuming at the refereeing calls following their 1-0 loss to Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League on November 6, Wednesday. Hakan Calhanoglu scored from the penalty spot to give Inter the win at the San Siro, in a game that was majorly dominated by the Gunners. The turning point of the game came in first half stoppage time when Mikel Merino was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the box.

However, Arsenal would have a penalty call overlooked when Yann Sommer would charge out and end up punching Merino in the head as he attempted to clear the ball. Replays did show that Sommer did get some part of the ball and hence VAR swiftly decided to stick with the on-field call of no penalty. Speaking to the reporters after the loss, Arteta called it extremely frustrating as he felt proud of his players' performance on the day.

The Gunners boss felt that if Inter was awarded a penalty for the handball, then they should also have been given one.

"The worst thing is the result, because of the performance and attitude we showed against one of the best teams in Europe in their stadium," said Arteta.

"It's extremely frustrating because there were two decisions against us. If their one is a penalty then we should have one when Mikel Merino is punched in the head.

"Of all the big games we have played in Europe, this was the best I have seen from my team in the last two years."

Arteta's Chelsea game assessment

Arsenal have now suffered 2 consecutive losses and will face Chelsea next in the Premier League. Arteta feels that if his side can play the way they did at the San Siro, then they have a big chance of beating the Blues.

"If we play the way we played tonight, the team has a big chance to win at Chelsea."

"That is the way we have to go. I have told them I am proud of them. We are disappointed because we didn't get what we wanted out of the game that is for sure," said Arteta.

Arsenal and Chelsea will face each other at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, November 10.