Former Arsenal star Theo Walcott believes his old side should’ve been awarded a penalty for an early incident in their clash with Sunderland.
The Gunners went behind at the Stadium of Light through Dan Ballard’s opener, only for Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard to pull the Gunners back into it.
However, a late equaliser from Brian Brobbey came as quite the sucker punch for Arsenal, who were forced to settle for a point.
There were plenty of near moments for either side in the match, but there was one incident with VAR that left some fans frustrated.
Theo Walcott claims Arsenal should’ve had a penalty against Sunderland
Arsenal’s draw with Sunderland came as a slight blow to their Premier League title chances, not least after leading the game.
The Gunners may feel aggrieved that they were not given the chance to go ahead early on in the game anyway.
A cross into the box saw Mikel Merino rise high, but he was caught by an elbow from Sunderland defender Ballard.
VAR waved away any appeal for a penalty, but for Theo Walcott, there is a belief that the Gunners were hard done by.
He said on the BBC’s Match of the Day: “Well, my view, I look at it a little bit differently to be honest. It’s not clear and obvious; however, it’s early in the game, seven minutes in the game, and Dan Ballard, of course, wants to put his mark on the game; shall we just call it?
“And Mikel Arteta spoke about being disruptive. And he’s definitely, from my opinion, he’s disruptive.
“And there’s a slight movement from the elbow to Merino’s cheekbone. Me and Al [Alan Shearer] definitely probably don’t agree on it. However, I do feel like his elbow is in quite a high position, shall we just call it? And it was very disruptive in it.”
It’s something that Alan Shearer definitely didn’t agree on, as the former Newcastle striker said: “I think as a defender, if he allows that forward to get across him, Merino, his manager goes absolutely berserk at him.
“That’s his space, and he cannot allow any forward to get across him. So he then settles himself, and then he goes for the header.
“He can’t jump without doing that [elbow motion] for a header. And I don’t think there’s anything deliberate there at all. I think it’s more brilliant defending than anything else.”
When pressed on the defending some more, Shearer continued: “I wouldn’t allow anyone to sort of get in me or in and around me or in front of me. And that’s his job as a defender. He cannot allow the forward to get in front of him, and he didn’t.”
In the end, VAR sided with Shearer’s view on it, but Arsenal may well feel frustrated at an opportunity not given their way.
Arsenal defence is a concern over penalty shouts
While the penalty call could’ve gone Arsenal’s way, it may not have been a problem at the end if the side had held on.
The Gunners had the lead going into stoppage time and needed to stand tall against the impending problems that Sunderland were going to cause.
It was unlike the team many have come to know under Arteta that they fell under so much pressure in and around the box in the end.
The manager addressed it after the game when he told the press: “We knew that [threat from Sunderland] from the beginning, but that’s the Premier League.
“You don’t get to any place in the Premier League where you think you’re going to have a comfortable afternoon, evening, however you want to call it.
“And again, it’s not a coincidence what they are doing. They deserve to be where they are, and we do as well.”
It saw an end to Arsenal’s clean sheet record, which stood at eight wins in a row in all competitions without conceding.
On that record ending, Arteta said: “A pain in my tummy because I don’t want to concede any goals. And it was a goal, obviously, that was putting the game in a difficult position.”
Now Arsenal need to regroup after the international break and start another streak.
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