Mikel Arteta was left frustrated after a contentious penalty decision for Inter ended Arsenal's unbeaten run in the Champions League. The Arsenal manager believed his side should have also been awarded a penalty when Mikel Merino was 'punched in the head' by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer, just before the Spain midfielder was penalized for a handball inside his own area.
Hakan Calhanoglu calmly converted his 19th successful penalty from 19 attempts, giving Simone Inzaghi's team a narrow victory after they withstood an Arsenal onslaught in the second half. Despite being satisfied with the performance, Arteta expressed confusion over Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs' decision to award the penalty.
"We were informed at the start of the season that wasn't a penalty – that was clear. But today was a different story," he said. "I don't understand – it's just a deflection. There is no danger at all and he cannot react because the ball was so close. They decide that is a penalty but then if that is a penalty then the one on Mikel Merino, when he punches him in the head, has to be 1000% a penalty. These are the margins in this game so it's very hard to accept. There's nothing unfortunately that we can do and we're not going to be able to change it."
Merino was substituted at half-time after Arteta felt he had been affected by the clash with Sommer, while Germany forward Kai Havertz had to be withdrawn late in the game after sustaining a head injury that required stitches. Both players are expected to be fit for Sunday's Premier League trip to Chelsea, where Arsenal manager should also have captain Martin Ødegaard available after his return from injury as a late substitute.
Despite suffering a second consecutive defeat, Arteta felt Arsenal deserved more. "For sure this is the way that I want to see my team," he said. "Of all the big games that we have played in Europe this was by far the best one we have played in the last few years."
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