Former chief of referees Keith Hackett has slammed “poor” decisions given against Arsenal in the Premier League so far.
It comes as the Gunners were handed another controversial decision against them in the draw with Brighton.
In a challenge for the ball in the box, William Saliba appeared to miss the ball and headed Joao Pedro instead.
Anthony Taylor awarded a penalty against Arsenal, with Pedro going on to score from the spot to earn his side a point.
It wasn’t the first time Arsenal have been left frustrated with officiating decisions, feeling a few red card calls went against them earlier in the season.
It has led to widespread discussion over the calls, which have largely cost the Gunners so far, with Mikel Arteta left especially frustrated.
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Ex-PGMOL chief on Arsenal referee decisions
Former chief of the PGMOL, Keith Hackett, has slammed decisions made against Arsenal so far through this season.
While there have been debates surrounding the penalty decision awarded to Brighton, the red cards have brought about questions too.
Red cards for both Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard came under scrutiny, with the pair given second yellow cards for delaying the restart.
Fans have questioned the inconsistent nature of bookings for delaying the restart, though performances have been a bigger issue.
With those frustrations surrounding refereeing decisions, Hackett took to social media and said: “The facts show that Arsenal have had some poor decisions awarded against them.”
It’s unclear exactly which decisions Hackett is referring to, though it’s something that will resonate with Arsenal fans and Mikel Arteta alike.
Arsenal can do nothing about referee calls
It’s important to note that while Arsenal feel frustrated about the referee calls, and can perhaps feel vindicated by calls from Hackett, they can’t do anything about it.
The only thing the Gunners can do is work harder to get matches out of sight so that referee calls, for or against them, have little impact on the match result.
On too many occasions, Arteta’s men have had the game in tight situations when hit by referee calls, not least in the matches that have cost them points.
Perhaps if, in both Brighton games, the Manchester City draw and the Bournemouth clash, they had been in a better position then it wouldn’t have been as big of a problem.
That, and only that, is what Arsenal should focus on improving as there’s little they can do about decisions on the pitch.
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