Bukayo Saka and his Arsenal teammates were furious after being denied a penalty in the last seconds of their Champions League tie with Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Substitute Leandro Trossard equalised for the Gunners 15 minutes from time, although there were shouts for them to take a lead into the second leg next week.
Saka surged into the German penalty area and seemed to have taken it around goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, but the shot-stopper brought him down, and the referee swiftly waived it away.
Rio Ferdinand and Martin Keown, TNT Sports analysts, were stunned by the referee’s decision not to give Arsenal a penalty. He said Saka was Arsenal’s’most dangerous player’ and that the Gunners played’so brilliantly’ at points during the 2-2 draw, stating that ‘they were the side pressing towards the end to gain the result’.
The Scottish football legend added: ‘He clearly got there first, but there’s an aspect, he swings his right leg into him.’
Co-commentator Owen Hargreaves agreed with McCoist’s assessment of the disputed event.
Trossard told TNT Sports immediately after the game: “On the pitch, it looked like a penalty to me.” I haven’t watched the video, but there seemed to be definite contact.
After the game, Mikel Arteta responded diplomatically: ‘I haven’t seen it. The choice has been taken, and we cannot alter it.
He said that he can understand Saka’s response ‘if he had the notion that it was a penalty, for sure’.
The game ended 2-2, leaving the contest set for the return leg next Wednesday at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Arsenal’s goals came from Saka and Trossard, whereas Bayern Munich’s were scored by Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane, both from the penalty spot.