Premier League referees have been told they need to tweak their new rule - or face giving penalties like Sunderland's against Arsenal every week. The Gunners were left furious after the Black Cats were awarded a spot-kick following grappling between Ezri Konsa and Dan Ballard.
That decision came after a new directive from Pro Ref in the summer to clamp down on wrestling in the penalty area. In the end, the decision was immaterial after David Raya produced a stunning save from Enzo Le Fee's penalty.
Pundits question the decision
Speaking in the aftermath, Match of the Day pundit Ashley Williams suggested it was not a penalty and the Premier League might need to reconsider their stance.
He said: "I think he's got it completely wrong. As we see this, look at Ezri Konsa's left shoulder here. It's pulled down by Dan Ballard which means he spins around and he obviously lands on top of Dan Ballard.
"Mikel Arteta's right. It's almost like a perfect hip toss in judo. He's got hold of him. If you look at Ezri Konsa's elbow getting driven down. He can't do anything about it at this point, he has to roll over.
"It's very clever by Dan Ballard but in no way is it a penalty. If anything, this has to be a foul the other way.
"If I'm playing and I get hold of someone that's behind me and I flip them over and go down, every single time I win the award and now they've given the penalty, they've set themselves up now and have to give that every week."
Fellow pundit and ex-Spurs boss Thomas Frank agreed with Williams and did not believe the incident was worthy of a penalty.
Arteta's furious reaction
He said: "I think when you get it, of course, you want it. But I completely agree, I don't think it's a penalty.
"And I'm a little bit surprised about the new guidance. Normally you see incidents in the first rounds, second or third but this is the fourth round and we know there's constant battles in there so it has surprised me that it's the first time but this one I don't think it's a penalty."
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was left furious at the decision despite it not costing his side.
"It could have been very different," he said to TNT Sports. "They could've changed the game." Asked who could've changed the game, he replied. "You know who."
"It is unacceptable at this level," he added. "Unacceptable. This can change the course of a season. It's not acceptable. I have watched it 10 times to make sure, because I watched it live and I said it's not possible to be a penalty because it's a judo roll, that's what it is. This cannot happen.
"In my view. I have been involved in football for 27 or 28 years. It's not a penalty in any game, in any game, in any context in any league. I'm so pleased in one sense, I'm so worried in another."
