Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said it was a “disgrace” that Newcastle United’s winning goal stood when the two sides met in the Premier League on Saturday.
Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of a feisty contest at St James’ Park, tapping in from close range following an assist from Joelinton. The goal was only awarded after a thorough VAR review to check if the ball had gone over the endline prior to the cross, a foul on defender Gabriel or if Gordon was offside.
Arteta was furious with the decision to all the goal in his post-match interviews, calling it “embarrassing” and a “disgrace”, while claiming that the Gunners deserved to win the tie.
“I praise my players for the performance and the way we played,” the Spaniard told Sky Sports. “We didn’t deserve to lose the match. We lose the match because of the clear and obvious decisions. It’s embarrassing. A disgrace. That’s what it is. A disgrace.
“There’s so much at stake, we put so many hours. I am here to represent the football club and get my team competing at the highest level possible. The margins are so small. It’s a disgrace, it’s embarrassing. That’s how I fell and how everyone feels in that [dressing] room. You cannot imagine the amount of messages I got saying this cannot continue. It’s embarrassing.
“I have to be here now to say it is not acceptable.
“I don’t’ know how to feel. I am wasting my time. We are wasting our time. I don’t want to be in the hands of people. It’s difficult enough to compete against this team. It cannot continue. It’s embarrassing. There’s too much at stake. The consequences are too big.”
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe felt that the VAR came to the correct decision. “We’re in the dark, we’re stood by the side of the pitch seeing VAR on the screen but with no pictures. I haven’t seen anything other than what I saw at the time. It looked a good goal to me.”
