Arsenal Held to Draw by Nottingham Forest Amid Controversial Referee Decisions

Arsenal failed to capitalize on the chance to increase their lead at the top of the Premier League table to nine points on Saturday, as they were held to a goalless draw by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

Both Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Martinelli squandered opportunities for Arsenal, while a potential penalty was not awarded after a handball incident involving Aina. Referee Michael Oliver declined to give the decision, and VAR, overseen by Darren England, also confirmed the call. The Premier League Match Centre later clarified on social media that the referee’s decision was upheld, explaining, “The ball was deemed to have been played off Aina’s shoulder first, and his arm was in a natural position.”

Following the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed his frustration, asserting that a clear penalty should have been awarded. He stated to TNT Sports, “The clear penalty that we cannot forget. That is a clear penalty in the box that hasn’t been given. Those are the margins. I saw it live, I saw it here. I saw it now again. It’s very unnecessary, but he brings the ball in with his hand.”

Arteta further contested the explanation provided by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), emphasizing, “They are correct that it hit the shoulder. However, he then handled the ball. The explanation is not accurate. The sequence is fine, but the timing and intent of the player are very clear. If not, I wouldn’t be here stating that, in my opinion, it’s a very clear penalty.”

Despite having several chances to secure a victory, Arteta acknowledged that his team must enhance their attacking performance. “We came here to win the game, but we haven’t managed to do that for various reasons. Credit to Nottingham Forest; they are well organized and adept at disrupting momentum. Nevertheless, we created four significant opportunities, including Martinelli with an open goal, Declan Rice with a tap-in, Mikel’s chance, and Bukayo’s header. Additionally, there was a very clear penalty that wasn’t given. It is disappointing not to have won, especially without conceding a single shot on target. We can improve, particularly in our attacking areas.”

Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche offered a contrasting perspective on the penalty incident. He remarked, “If these start getting given, we might as well cancel football. I find that ridiculous. We need to be careful with these decisions.”

Dyche also argued that his team should have been awarded a penalty when Callum Hudson-Odoi was fouled by Jurrien Timber, stating, “What about our incident? It was right on the line of the box. They claim it’s outside, but he was in full flight, heading into the box. He would have gotten there.”

Looking ahead, Arsenal will travel to Italy for a Champions League matchup against Inter Milan before returning home to face Manchester United at the Emirates on Sunday. The Red Devils will come into the match buoyed by a morale-boosting 2-0 victory over Manchester City in caretaker manager Michael Carrick’s first game in charge.