Mikel Arteta left fuming over ‘very difficult to accept’ penalty decisions in Arsenal’s Champions League defeat to Inter Milan as Gunners boss backs his side to beat Chelsea

Arsenal were the dominant side at San Siro during their Champions League clash, however, the Gunners were unable to avoid defeat to Inter Milan after Calhanoglu converted a penalty in injury time in the first half. Referee Istvan Kovacs pointed to the spot after Mikel Merino was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box. However, Arteta has revealed that he feels his side were hard done by the refereeing for a contentious penalty as he also claimed his side should have been awarded a penalty early in the first half after Merino was caught by Yann Sommer on the head as the keeper attempted to punch the ball.

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  WHAT ARTETA SAID

  Speaking to the media, Arteta said: “I don’t understand. There is no danger at all. You cannot react because the ball is very close. We were told at the start of the season that wasn’t a penalty. That was clear. Today it was a different story. But OK. They decide that is a penalty.

  “But if that is a penalty then the one on Mikel Merino where he punches him in the head has to be a penalty, 1,000 per cent. These are the margins in this game and it’s very, very difficult to accept. I am extremely frustrated because these are two decisions that marked the course of the game. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do. We have to accept it and move on.”

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    THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Arsenal very much dominated the proceedings at San Siro as the Gunners gathered 63% possession on the night and took a total of 20 shots compared to Inter’s seven shots. The Nerazzurri only had one shot on target, which came from Calhanoglu’s penalty. As such, Arteta praised his side’s dominance on the night and said: “This is the way I want to see my team. Of all the big games we have played in Europe, this is by far the best one that we have played in the last few years…

    “I haven’t seen them play in Europe in the manner they have today. And we are very disappointed because we didn’t get what we wanted out of the game that’s for sure.”

    WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

    The Gunners will be in action next when they take on London rivals Chelsea on November 10 as they look to dump their three-game winless streak in the Premier League. Arteta has revealed that he is confident about the Gunners taking the win at Stamford Bridge, saying: “If we play the way we played here we have a good chance to win against Chelsea. I told them I’m proud of them.”