Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta heavily criticised referee Anthony Taylor's decision to award Brighton a penalty during his side's 1-1 draw with the Seagulls on Saturday.
Ethan Nwaneri fired the visitors in front during a cagey contest on the south coast, but Arsenal struggled to control the game thereafter. Brighton launched multiple raids up the pitch which fizzled out due to a combination of poor decision-making and lapses in concentration.
Joao Pedro eventually forced a deserved equaliser for the hosts on the hour mark. The Brazilian forward took the unusual approach of flicking the ball up at the top of Arsenal's crowded penalty area, tempting William Saliba into a mistimed aerial challenge which Taylor penalised.
"I have never seen a decision like this in my career," Arteta moaned after the frustrating stalemate. "I asked the boys if they have and nobody has seen it before."
Slow-motion replays of the freak foul appeared to show Saliba gently brushing the ball with his forehead before he connected with Pedro's temple.
"When you look at the incident, the distance, the player, Joao touching the ball, then Saliba touching the ball, you can see contact there," Arteta argued. "I checked [with the officials]. After three seconds they said they had already checked. It seems quick."
On-pitch referee Taylor initially took his time before pointing to the spot. VAR Darren England quickly confirmed the decision, with a Premier League statement subsequently explaining that "there was sufficient contact for a penalty".
Arteta was not impressed. "We are really disappointed with the decision," the manager concluded. "[Saliba] touches the ball as well."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Fabian Hurzeler had a different opinion to Arteta. "It was a clear penalty," the Brighton boss insisted. "It is head-to-head but if it is another piece of the body, everybody would say it was a penalty. Joao Pedro places the ball with his head and Saliba comes to late, therefore it was a clear one."
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