Mikel Arteta: I have never seen a referee's decision like that in my career

After three tied Premier League victories, Arsenal again fumbled, dropped points, and opened the way for leader Liverpool to a serious advantage. However, the penalty kick awarded by referee Anthony Taylor in favor of Brighton can be argued about, and there is no doubt that there will be proponents of both theories—that the decision was too harsh, that is, that the main referee's move was absolutely right.

The coach of the "damaged" side, Mikel Arteta, expressed his opinion at the press conference. To say he was shocked is an understatement.

"I have never seen a referee's decision like that in my career," said the Spaniard and continued: "I asked my boys after the game if they had seen anything like that and they said no. When you look at the situation, the distance, the player—Joao Pedro touched the ball, so Saliba also touched it. You can see the contact with the ball."

Also, Arteta gave an answer to the question of why he replaced the scorer of his team's only goal, Ethan Nwaneri, already at halftime. It turned out that the 17-year-old, who replaced the injured Bukayo Saka, suffered a muscle injury.

"We lost him too. It was a muscle problem, and I had to take him out." 

Point and injury. Double disappointment for Arsenal. Pride and frustration caused by the referee's decision, which the Gunners will have to forget as soon as possible.

Today, Liverpool will have a chance to make an even bigger difference and consolidate at the top of the table. They are expecting a match against their biggest rival, which is in crisis, and anything but victory would really be a surprise this time. However, looking at earlier derbies, it is clear that both teams, even in the period of crisis, have an additional motive in matches like these. This is the reason why we can expect any outcome.