Mikel Arteta said he was disappointed by the decision to award Brighton a second-half penalty as Arsenal drew 1-1 at the Amex Stadium on Saturday night.
Arteta's side were aiming to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool when they play Manchester United on Sunday, but teenager Ethan Nwaneri was unable to secure all three points on the south coast despite a first-half lead.
The Gunners retreated after the break as the hosts managed a spirited comeback. William Saliba cleared the ball and attempted a header, but was rewarded as Fabian Hurzeler won a penalty after catching striker Joao Pedro's head.
From there, Brighton squandered a couple of half-chances to win the game late on from the Brazilian's header.
Sharing points in Brighton.
A chance to open the page quickly on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/OvxH20cvqa
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 4 2025
But the Gunners coach thinks that the referee Anthony Taylor's decision to give a penalty is harsh.
Arteta told Sky Sports: “I'm disappointed because we wanted to win the game.
“We started with a good performance and scored some really good goals. We know it will be a very competitive and challenging game.
“But we competed. It wasn't our best day with the ball, especially in the second half. We had a lot of simple football away from home. They didn't really let it dominate the match.
“Hard work, passion You can't fault how much you want, but you need to do the simple things against a really good team. Today's match did not meet the standards required to win.
“And we were very disappointed with the penalty he (referee Anthony Taylor) gave. I have never seen it before in my life. For me, there is no clarity.”
An Arsenal win would move within three points of Liverpool. The Gunners currently trail Arne Slot by five points with two more games to play.
But Arteta didn't ask questions about their title rivals, instead focusing on his own players.
“Today we wanted to win the game and we couldn't do it,” Arteta said.
“There are certain things we need to improve. We are very disappointed with the (penalty) decision and we have to try to do better in the next game.”
Next up for the Gunners is a visit to in-form Newcastle in the first leg of the Carabao semi-final on Tuesday.