Arsenal sent clear penalty verdict after Mikel Arteta fury as statement rejected

Arsenal dropped points at relegation battlers Nottingham Forest on Saturday as they failed to fully capitalise on Manchester City's defeat at Manchester United earlier that day

Arsenal have been handed contrasting views by two refereeing experts after Mikel Arteta was left furious when his side were denied a penalty during Saturday's 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest. Ola Aina was not deemed to have committed a handball offence within his own penalty area when he and Elliot Anderson were attempting to guide the ball out of play.

Gabriel Jesus was nearby as the Forest pair attempted to clear their lines. Neither Aina nor Anderson succeeded in getting the ball away, leading to Arsenal initially being awarded a corner by the match referee, Michael Oliver.

The ball seemed to brush off the upper arm of the Forest defender. The Video Assistant Referee, Darren England, along with his assistant Sian Massey-Ellis, swiftly stepped in to review the incident from Stockley Park.

The Premier League Match Centre later clarified the decision on X, formerly known as Twitter. An official explanation read: "The referee's call of no penalty to Arsenal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that the ball was played off Aina's shoulder first, while his arm was also in a natural position."

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And Arteta believes his side were denied a clear penalty against Forest. He said: "The clear penalty that we cannot forget. That is a clear penalty in the box that's not been given. Those are the margins.

"I saw it live, I saw it here. I saw it now again. It's very unnecessary but he brings the ball in with his hand."

Former FIFA referee and ex-PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has shared his view to Football Insider - agreeing with Arteta that a spot-kick should have been awarded to the Gunners.

He said: “The player has deliberately moved his hand towards the ball and committed a handling offence.

"Therefore, a penalty kick should have been awarded. You should regard the shoulder as part of the body, just like the foot. This is not a deflection off the body, but a deliberate play. A penalty should have been awarded."

However, another former top-flight referee, Mark Halsey, has told the Sun that he agrees with the official's decision - sharing his view that Aina's arm was in a natural position.

"The ball does strike his arm, but in my opinion, his arms are in a natural position for that phase of play," he said.

"His arms are up, they're coming down as the ball is coming down as well. Yes it does strike his arm, but not a deliberate act.

"So in my opinion, Michael Oliver and VAR got the decision absolutely spot on. Not a penalty for me."

Arsenal ultimately failed to capitalise on Manchester City's 2-0 defeat at Manchester United, but are now seven points clear of Pep Guardiola's side. Their lead at the top could be cut to four points, though, if Aston Villa beat Everton later on Sunday.