Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta saw his side produce plenty and let the spoils mostly go to waste on Saturday in a 2-0 win over Sunderland, making goalkeeper David Raya the hero of the day.
But he was left angry with the fact that Raya had to save a penalty in the first place, as Arteta felt Daniel Ballard used a ‘judo roll’ to win a penalty off Ezri Konsa as Arsenal were penalized for physical play in the box.
“I’m so upset — it’s unacceptable at this level,” Arteta said. “It can change a season, a championship. I watched it 10 times. It’s a judo roll. It just cannot happen.”
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Arteta was shown a yellow card in the first half for drifting into the Sunderland technical area, so he was already on edge well before forcing the penalty narrative into his postgame interview.
“It’s a huge win but it could’ve been something very different,” Arteta said. “They could’ve changed the game.”
Bruno Guimaraes came off the bench and slammed the Gunners in front, moments after Sunderland saw a penalty saved by Raya, and Guimaraes was asked whether Raya was the best keeper in the world.
“Definitely,” Guimaraes said. “Very good saves. He keeps us alive in the game, that unbelievable moment saving the penalty. I think after this moment we got a big confidence to play forward and score our goal. He’s an unbelievable player.”
The Spanish keeper would later make three interventions including two saves in a wild scrum during the 84th minute.
The Gunners would earn a penalty deep in stoppage time to give the game its final score line, and Saka snapped it past Robin Roefs.
Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka alone had multiple brilliant chances for Arsenal but the Black Cats were either let off the hook or stepped up to put out the fires at the Stadium of Light.
Mikel Arteta reaction after Arsenal escapes another tight game with a 2-0 win
Arteta attempted to get the postmatch interviewer to mention the penalty kick, finishing his first answer with, “They could’ve changed the game.”
When asked about what could’ve changed the game, Arteta acted bewildered that the reporter didn’t immediately know.
When she hazarded a guess that it was Sunderland being awarded a penalty, he went off with the aforementioned quote about Ballard doing a judo roll on Konsa. Ballard had a piece of Konsa’s sleeve but seemed already headed to ground.
“It’s not a penalty in any game, in any case, in any contest, in any league.”
Arteta would go on to praise his players for their role in picking up all three points under that pressure.
“It’s unbelievable the playershave with the courage to go again and again and again,” Arteta said. “I’m so pleased in one sense and so worried in another.”
Arteta would go on to say he’s worried because his team should’ve never conceded a penalty in that manner.
But he knows he has a special keeper in Raya.
“Unbelievable. Again, he’s a player that decides football matches when we need it. Big credit to Sunderland the way they play and the way they are coached. They deserve a lot of credit for the way they make you work.”
