Mikel Arteta reaction – Arsenal boss upset over uncalled ‘clear penalty’ in Forest draw

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have once again been troubled by a Sean Dyche side, and this latest headache has come at a steep price.

The Gunners entered the City Ground with the chance to increase their lead to nine in the Premier League thanks to a defeat of Man City. Liverpool also dropped points on Saturday, and Arsenal just had to read their lines and beat the 17th-placed team in the Premier League table.

MORE – Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal recap, video highlights

But Arteta’s modified attack couldn’t score against Forest and he had to break the seal on his marquee subs. It improved, but not enough to take the eggs off the scoreboard in a 0-0 draw that put them seven points clear of City and Aston Villa.

So Sean Dyche’s first game against Arsenal as Forest boss looked a lot like some previous iterations against Arsenal as Burnley or Everton boss, as Dyche improved his record to 2W-5D-4L against Arteta, with the last two of those draws being part of six clean sheets.

Arteta was upset that his much-changed side couldn’t capitalize on their chances, and he thought VAR’s decision not to award a second-half penalty to the Gunners for a perceived handball on Ola Aina near the backline was an obvious error.

Mikel Arteta reaction after Arsenal work and fail to capitalize on huge title race chance

Any thoughts on the draw? “We wanted to win the match. We knew it would be very tough, very close. We created four big, big, big chances and a clear penalty.”

Rather, it was a question of whether the ball was in play, not whether it was a handball:“It’s a clear intention to keep the ball inside, so it’s a clear penalty. I don’t understand why it wasn’t given.”

Disappointing after the results in the championship? “We could have been better, but that’s what happens in the whole league to every team, but we have to be better. When we created four big chances, we have to put them aside.”

Your depth hasn’t really found the magic to score: “They’re so willing to do it. You have to produce that moment. Thanks to them too, they’re really organized. They disrupt your momentum in a very clever way.”

Header from Saka almost a goal but huge save from Sels: “Yes, and what a big chance Gabby has with an empty goal. Or a big chance Declan, or Mikel. We need to put the ball in the net and win the game but we couldn’t do it.”