Mikel Arteta insisted his Arsenal side were wrongly denied a penalty in the closing stages of their 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest.
Arsenal dominated possession at the City Ground and restricted Forest to no shots on target, but failed to turn control into goals. Gabriel Martinelli missed a gilt-edged opportunity in the first half, while Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka were also unable to find a breakthrough as Forest defended doggedly.
The defining moment came in the closing stages when Forest defender Ola Aina appeared to use his arm to keep the ball in play near the byline. Referee Michael Oliver waved away appeals, and VAR official Darren England upheld the on-field decision after reviewing the incident, citing that the ball struck Aina’s shoulder first and that his arm was in a natural position.
Arteta strongly disagreed. Speaking after the match, the Arsenal manager said the explanation did not match what he saw, arguing that the initial contact with the shoulder was irrelevant given the subsequent arm movement.
“It hits the shoulder, that part is true,” Arteta said. “But then he clearly brings the ball in with his hand. The timing and the intention are very clear, and for me it’s a very clear penalty.”
The stalemate meant Arsenal missed the chance to move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League after Manchester City’s earlier defeat. Instead, they extended their lead to seven points, a smaller step than Arteta had hoped for, particularly given his belief that his side had done enough to win.
“We came here to take all three points,” he said. “We created four massive chances and didn’t concede a single shot on target. When you add a clear penalty on top of that, it’s disappointing not to win.”
