Mikel Arteta Reacts After Arsenal’s Dramatic Victory Over Sunderland

• Arsenal beat Sunderland 2-0 at the Stadium of Light to keep their perfect start to the Premier League season
• Sunderland's Enzo Le Fee missed a second-half penalty before Bruno Guimaraes put Arsenal ahead minutes later
• Arteta publicly slammed referee John Brooks over the penalty decision, calling it unacceptable at the highest level

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta did not hold back after his side ground out a 2-0 victory at Sunderland in the Premier League, despite reserving his strongest words not for praise but for a referee he believes nearly cost his team the match.

The Gunners arrived at the Stadium of Light looking to extend their perfect start to the season. The decisive moments came in the second half, when Sunderland were awarded a penalty that Enzo Le Fee stepped up to take and missed.

Bruno Guimaraes punished the hosts almost immediately, putting Arsenal in front, and Bukayo Saka added a second goal late in the half to wrap up the three points.

Read also

Mikel Arteta’s salary emerges as Arsenal prepares new contract for manager

Arteta slams referee over penalty call

Although Arsenal left Wearside with maximum points, Arteta directed his post-match frustration at referee John Brooks, whose decision to award the penalty he said was simply wrong.

"It's a huge win, but it could have been something very different," Arteta said via the Independent.

“I'm so upset. It's unacceptable at this level. Unacceptable. This can change the course of a season, the championship. It's unacceptable. I've seen it 10 times to make sure, because I watched it live and I said, 'It's not possible at this level it's going to be a penalty.' Because it's a judo roll, that's what it is. It cannot happen."

The Arsenal boss, who has spent nearly three decades in football, was equally emphatic about the nature of the decision itself.

“I've been in football for almost 28 years, it's not a penalty in any case, in any game, in any context, in any league,” he added.

Read also

Ola Aina: Super Eagles star reacts as he's forced to wash teammates boots after losing in training

Despite the controversy, Arsenal's perfect start to the season remains intact. Their next Premier League outing takes them to Brighton before the season pauses for the international break, via Arsenal.com.

Supercomputer predicts Premier League winner

Legit.ng previously reported that Opta's supercomputer predicted the Premier League winner after Arsenal beat Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

The Gunners’ chances of retaining their Premier League title was further boosted by the win after a perfect early start to the new season.

Source: Legit.ng