- Arsenal fell 1-0 against Inter Milan in the Champions League this Wednesday.
- Fans are convinced Mikel Arteta should have been sent off in the second half
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Fans are convinced Mikel Arteta should have been sent off during Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to Inter Milan on Wednesday.
The Gunners boss, who saw his team slump to a second successive defeat at the San Siro following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against Newcastle, was shown a yellow card midway through the second half for interfering with the ball while it was still in play. at stake.
In the 63rd minute, with Arsenal chasing the game after Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty on the stroke of half-time, the ball bounced into Arteta’s technical area when Bukayo Saka struck the ball against Inter midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Despite initially appearing to be offside, the spinning ball remained on the pitch, only for Arteta to duck and hand stop it.
To make matters worse, his interference prevented Matteo Darmian from regaining possession for the Italian giants, prompting protests from the full-back and his teammates.
Fans are convinced Mikel Arteta should have been sent off for handling the ball while it was still in play during Arsenal’s narrow 1-0 defeat against Inter Milan on Wednesday night.
The referee and Arteta laughed after receiving a yellow card after the interference.
The Arsenal manager has a habit of staying very close to the touchline during matches.
Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs smiled as he brandished his yellow card at Arteta, appearing to have a nice word with the Spanish coach on the touchline.
Several fans were unhappy to see Arteta escape further punishment for interfering with play, claiming his actions at San Siro warranted a sending off.
A fan posted on X: ‘Our old friend discretion. “Sending offences include (but are not limited to): entering the field of play to: interfere with play, an opposing player or a match referee.”
Another said: ‘This should have been a red card for Arteta. What is he doing?
A Tottenham supporter also expressed his frustration, adding: “Let alone picking up the ball, how can Arteta be so close to the play and think it’s okay?” He does it every PL game and distracts the players 2 or 3 times a game.
West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan was sent off for a similar offense in the Championship earlier this year.
Just six minutes into the Baggies’ clash with Southampton, the Spaniard kicked the ball while it was still in play after Saints star Sekou Mara played a pass down the line towards teammate Ryan Fraser.
Despite immediately apologizing, even though the ball was out of play, Corberán was told to leave by referee Sam Allison.
Fans quickly took to social media to point out how Arteta was lucky to only receive a booking.
West Brom manager Carlos Corberán was sent off for a similar offense earlier this year.
While Arteta escaped the same punishment, Arsenal suffered a disappointing defeat that night and fell to 12th out of 36 in the Champions League standings.
Referee Kovacs awarded Inter a penalty in stoppage time at the end of the first half after Mikel Merino inadvertently touched the ball in the area, giving penalty kick specialist Calhanoglu a golden opportunity from the spot.
The midfielder made no mistake and gave Inter a crucial advantage to defend, which they achieved despite Arsenal’s attack in the second half.
Gabriel Magalhaes had a shot cleared by Denzel Dumfries before Yann Sommer cleverly parried Kai Havertz’s shot from distance, helping his team hold on for three points to take them to fifth place in the Champions League standings.
