Jurrien Timber admission after Arsenal vs Inter Milan proves referee got one controversial call right

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Many Arsenal fans will feel that their side were hard done by at the San Siro on Wednesday evening. 

The Gunners tasted defeat in the Champions League for the first time this season as they were beaten 1-0 by Inter Milan.

The North London club conceded a penalty on the stroke of half-time, which Hakan Calhanoglu converted to give the Italian outfit the lead.

Former Arsenal star Matt Upson was horrified by the penalty call, believing that referee Istvan Kovacs was extremely harsh in his decision to penalise Mikel Merino for handball. 

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta is convinced that his side should have been awarded a spot kick of their own at the other end of the pitch.

• READ MORE: Everything to know on Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber from his height to his brothers

Jurrien Timber responds to Champions League penalty controversy 

Before he was pulled up in his own penalty area, Merino was clattered by Inter Milan goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

The Arsenal midfielder attacked a Gabriel Martinelli cross, and got his head on the ball before the goalkeeper’s fist connected with his head.

Arteta was adamant Arsenal should have had a penalty for the challenge on Merino. However, VAR reviewed the incident and allowed play to continue. 

Speaking to TNT Sports in the wake of this match, Jurrien Timber was asked to share his thoughts on the Gunners’ claim for a penalty of their own.

The Dutch defender said: “Which one is the one where we should have had a penalty?… I have to look it back to have an opinion on that, but if he [Arteta] says it, it’s probably really harsh to go down like that.”

Should Arsenal have been given a penalty against Inter Milan?

The fact that Timber didn’t remember Merino getting punched suggests the Arsenal players weren’t convinced it was a penalty on the pitch, and that the officials probably came to the correct decision in the end.

Former Arsenal duo Upson and Paul Merson were convinced by the penalty claim though, and felt that Inter Milan were very fortunate to avoid being punished for Sommer’s aggressive attempt to clear the ball.

However, the Gunners cannot pin their Champions League disappointment on this isolated incident alone. They had other opportunities to find the back of the net, but consistently failed to convert. 

Whether Arsenal deserved a penalty against Inter Milan or not, this issue cannot be allowed to mask the flaws in the club’s performance that were on display in Italy.