Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has doubled down on Mikel Arteta's penalty outrage by insisting his team should have been awarded a "clear" spot-kick and claimed the referee was "provoked" to change his mind by Atletico Madrid's hostile fans.
Controversial Decision in Madrid
Arteta was incandescent after his side's 1-1 draw in the opening leg of their Champions League semi-final in the Spanish capital on Wednesday. Referee Danny Makkelie overturned his original decision to award the visitors a late penalty when Eberechi Eze was upended in the area.
Under Atletico manager Diego Simeone's animated glare, and against the backdrop of 70,000 whistling Atletico fans, Dutch referee Makkelie watched the incident 13 times before reversing his on-pitch verdict.
Rice's Reaction
Reflecting on the contentious decision, Rice insisted: "It's a clear penalty. And I don't know how that's not been given. I think the fans provoked the decision and changed the ref's mind."
He added: "Uefa is totally different (to the Premier League). In both boxes, you have to be so careful because they give absolutely everything."
Two VAR Interventions Against Arsenal
Two VAR interventions worked against Arsenal after Ben White was adjudged to have handled Marcos Llorente's volley, which Julian Alvarez duly converted from the spot to cancel out Viktor Gyokeres' opener, also a penalty.
Rice felt White was unfortunate: "At first glance I thought if that's in the Premier League it doesn't get given because it's so low to the ground. The ball's not going on target. In the Champions League, referees are really quick to make decisions, and to blow their whistle, and you can't do much about it. I feel like they penalise you more in European competitions. But it doesn't matter. We move on to next week and we want to beat them."
Looking Ahead to Second Leg
Despite the controversial setback, Arsenal will still hope home advantage on Tuesday can propel them to their first Champions League final since 2006. Bukayo Saka, who continued his comeback from an Achilles injury as a second-half substitute, challenged the Arsenal supporters to "go above and beyond" in the return fixture to help secure their place in the Budapest showpiece on May 30.
Arsenal matched a club record of 13 games unbeaten in the Champions League with their draw against Atleti. Saka said: "We have mixed feelings because we would have liked to have come away with a win. But we will take the draw, it's half-time, and we're full of confidence going back to the Emirates. I'm sure it's going to be above and beyond what we saw tonight with the atmosphere, and that will definitely give us a boost."
Upcoming Premier League Clash
Prior to next week's decisive leg, Arsenal will face another pivotal match when they host Fulham on Saturday. The Gunners can pile the pressure on Manchester City by doubling their advantage at the Premier League summit from three to six points, having played two more games than their rivals. Pep Guardiola's side take on Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday.
