Another day, another game in which Arsenal dropped points. Despite taking an early lead, dominating possession, and having adequate amount of opportunities to add to their advantage, the Gunners entered half-time in their clash with Burnley with the score line at 1-1.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang broke the deadlock in the sixth minute, completing a slick move that began from Bernd Leno to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. From then on, it was all Arsenal, with the Gunners captain missing a golden opportunity to complete his brace and Saka missing an even better opportunity a while late.
That is until Arsenal's dedication to play it out from the back came back to bite them. Right before the 40-minute mark, Granit Xhaka's poor attempt at a pass ricocheted off Chris Wood and crept its way into Leno's net, drawing the game level in time for the break.
From then on, it was a pretty even game, with both sides coming dangerously close to winning the game. However, it was only the north London giants who were left fuming with VAR as it ruled out what appeared to be a clear penalty in the eyes of many.
In a second-half tussle between Pepe and Erik Pieters, the Burnley man is clearly seen handling the ball. Despite going over the incident, Kevin Friend, the official behind the screen, deemed there was not enough in it to merit a spot kick, waving it off due to proximity. Check out the incident in the video below as well as the opinions of Martin Keown and Joe Cole, both of whom joined Jake Humphrey in the BT Sport studio for this game's coverage.
"It's about consistency... On that day proximity didn't matter, today it does."
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 6, 2021
"How have VAR looked at that and said no? It's beyond me."@mrjakehumphrey, @martinkeown5, and Joe Cole look at a controversial decision to not award Arsenal a penalty. pic.twitter.com/Lo5SSiMW66
Fans were not happy with this decision, with many agreeing with Keown in labeling this a clear penalty. Speaking after the final whistle, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta echoed the same sentiment, admitting that it is difficult to win games when you commit individual errors and VAR fails to award blatant spot kicks. Check out his post-match interview in the video below.
"We should have won by two or three."
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 6, 2021
"It was an obvious penalty, or else someone needs to explain to me what a penalty is."
Mikel Arteta cut a frustrated figure after Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Burnley.
@TheDesKelly pic.twitter.com/R7qmOyPwpc
"Obviously, it's a tough place to come [to], it's a difficult pitch. Overall, I have to say that if you don't score the big chances we had, if you give a goal to the opponent, and you don't get the decision when it's a clear penalty, in the Premier League, to be fair, it's pretty complicated," the Spaniard said.
The Emirates Stadium boss went on to say: "If that's not a penalty I think somebody has to explain what is a penalty in this league."
