Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett has weighed in on the contentious penalty decision during Arsenal's Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, expressing his belief that the Gunners should have been awarded a spot-kick.
The incident occurred in extra-time when Arsenal's Noni Madueke went down under a challenge from Nuno Mendes inside the penalty area. Referee Daniel Siebert waved away appeals, and VAR declined to intervene, much to the frustration of Arsenal players and staff.
Declan Rice, who was booked for dissent following the decision, admitted he felt it was a penalty at the time but wanted to review the incident. Hackett supported Rice's view, stating: "Without question, I think we can all say that we have seen these given." He suggested that the referee should have taken a second look at the monitor.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also expressed conviction that his side deserved a penalty, pointing to similar incidents that have been awarded this season. The defeat leaves Arsenal to reflect on what might have been in a tightly contested final.
