Mikel Arteta expressed fury after Arsenal were denied a penalty in their Champions League semi-final first leg against Atlético Madrid, which ended 1-1. The incident occurred in the 78th minute when referee Danny Makkelie initially pointed to the spot after David Hancko fouled Eberechi Eze, but reversed his decision after reviewing multiple replays.
Arteta criticised the decision, stating: 'What I’m incredibly fuming with is how the hell the penalty on Ebs gets overturned when there is no clear and obvious error. This changes the course of the game.' He noted that Makkelie watched the incident 13 times, which he deemed unacceptable at this level.
The match saw two other penalties: Arsenal were awarded one for a Hancko foul on Viktor Gyökeres, which Gyökeres scored, and Atlético received one for a Ben White handball, converted by Julián Álvarez. Arteta accepted the handball decision based on consistency but strongly disagreed with the overturned penalty.
Despite the frustration, Arteta praised his team's performance in a hostile atmosphere at the Metropolitano Stadium. 'I’ve seen some of the best teams in the world fall apart here and concede three and four. We didn’t get the result we wanted, but at least it is in our hands, in front of our people,' he said. The second leg takes place in north London next Tuesday.
