Mikel Arteta 'extremely frustrated' as penalty call goes against Arsenal in 'best European game in years'

The Gunners were beaten 1-0 by Inter acknowledgment to a punishment from midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu connected the changeable of half-time.

Arteta was aggrieved by that, feeling it was harsh to adjudged Mikel Merino had handled the ball, and helium besides felt Arsenal should person had a punishment of their ain earlier then.

Merino was caught successful the caput by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer erstwhile attempting to get connected a cross, but referee Istvan Kovacs waved distant calls for a punishment and the incidental survived a VAR check, too.

“I don’t recognize [the decision], it’s conscionable a deflection,” said Arteta, erstwhile asked astir Inter winning a punishment for a handball by Merino.

“There is nary information astatine all, you cannot respond due to the fact that you are precise adjacent but ok, they determine that is simply a penalty.

“We were told astatine the commencement of the play that wasn’t a penalty, that was clear. Today was a antithetic story.

“But past if that’s a penalty, past the 1 connected Mikel Merino erstwhile helium punches him successful the caput has to beryllium 1000 per cent a punishment and these are the margins successful this crippled and it’s very, precise hard to accept.”

The decision was Arsenal’s 3rd successful their past six games, but they had chances to get backmost into the match.

Arteta’s broadside finished the crippled with 20 shots connected goal, their astir without scoring successful a Champions League crippled since November 2006.

“The worst happening of the night, for sure, is the result, due to the fact that the performance, the attitude, the dominance that we showed against 1 of the champion teams successful Europe successful this stadium, I haven’t seen it successful each the different games that I’ve watched,” said Arteta.

“But the world is the effect and we participated successful that, due to the fact that we had galore situations that we tin resoluteness overmuch amended successful beforehand of extremity and people astatine slightest 2 goals.

“And past [I am] highly frustrated arsenic good due to the fact that determination are 2 decisions that astatine the extremity marks the effect and the people of the game.

“The interest contiguous is the effect and evidently successful some boxes astatine the extremity we didn’t bash what we person to do.

“When we didn’t, past idiosyncratic other didn’t and that’s it. For sure, this is the mode that I privation to spot my team. All the large games that we person successful Europe by acold this was the champion 1 that we played successful the past fewer years.”