Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta didn’t mince words as he expressed his profound disappointment after Anthony Gordon’s controversial goal secured a 1-0 home victory for Newcastle against his side. Arteta gave a scathing assessment of the match officials and the Premier League’s standards, revealing his deep frustration.
The contentious goal was allowed after an extensive triple VAR assessment that lasted four minutes and six seconds, scrutinising whether the ball went out of play, the presence of a foul in the build-up, and potential offside.
Arteta began his post-match press conference with an emotional outburst, exclaiming, “How the hell did this goal stand up? It’s embarrassing what happened. How this goal stands, in the Premier League – this league that we say is the best in the world. I’ve been 20 years in this country, and now I feel ashamed. It’s a disgrace. It’s not good enough. I feel embarrassed to be part of this.”
The deadlock-breaking moment occurred in the 64th minute when Gordon fired past Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya from close range after a chaotic goalmouth scramble. Arteta continued his scathing assessment, stating, “It’s embarrassing. That’s how I feel, and that’s how everybody feels in that (dressing) room. You cannot imagine the amount of messages we’ve got saying this cannot continue. I feel sick. That’s how I feel. I feel sick to be part of this.”
The loss marked the Gunners’ first in the league this season, positioning them in third place, trailing leaders Manchester City by three points and Tottenham Hotspur by two points, with the latter set to play on Monday.
When asked if he would be reaching out to the PGMOL refereeing body about the goal, Arteta conveyed to Sky Sports, “Yeah, we will be taking it up for many months. There is so much at stake.”
On the other side of the spectrum, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe believed that the correct decision was made by the officials, and the goal should stand. He expressed, “We’re in the dark, we’re stood by the side of the pitch seeing VAR on the screen but with no pictures. I haven’t seen anything other than what I saw at the time. It looked like a good goal to me.”
