Mikel Arteta hit out at Anthony Taylor for awarding the penalty that pegged back Arsenal at Brighton but admitted his side lacked enough “freshness” to hold on for victory. Ethan Nwaneri’s second Premier League goal had given the visitors the lead in the first half but the Arsenal manager was left raging when William Saliba was penalised by Taylor for catching João Pedro in the face as he attempted to head the ball away.
“I have never seen a decision like this in my career. I asked the boys if they have and nobody has seen it before,” said Arteta. “When you look at the incident, the distance, the player, João touching the ball, then Saliba touching the ball, you can see contact there. I checked [with the officials]. After three seconds they said they had already checked. It seems quick.”
