Mikel Arteta fumes at Sunderland penalty despite Arsenal win: Unacceptable

Mikel Arteta was left angry with the referee despite Arsenal maintaining their perfect start to the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday.

Arsenal were made to work for all three points at the Stadium of Light, with David Raya making a crucial save to keep out Enzo Le Fee’s penalty early in the second half. Bruno Guimaraes then broke the deadlock just two minutes later before Bukayo Saka sealed the win from the spot in stoppage time.

The win made it four wins from four for Arsenal in the league and kept them at the top of the table. However, Arteta was focused after the match on the penalty decision that went against his side.

Referee John Brooks awarded Sunderland a free-kick after Ezri Konsa was penalized for pulling down Dan Ballard during a corner. Arteta strongly disagreed with the challenge and questioned how the incident could be considered a penalty.

“It was a huge win but it could have been something completely different,” Arteta told TNT Sports.

“It’s unacceptable at this level. It can change the course of the season and the championship. It’s not acceptable. I’ve seen it 10 times to make sure and there’s no way it can be a penalty at this level. It can’t happen.”

“It is not a penalty in any context, in any league.

ARSENAL DIVE DEEP

The result was far from a routine Arsenal performance. Sunderland’s energy, physicality and stamina caused problems for the visitors, who were forced to defend for long periods.

Raya proved pivotal when he pushed Le Fee’s penalty onto the post in the 55th minute. Arsenal responded almost immediately, Guimaraes coming off the bench at half-time to score decisively.

The Brazilian midfielder collected the ball from Declan Rice before curling a superb right-footed shot into the top corner to put Arsenal ahead.

Sunderland continued to threaten but Arsenal’s defense held firm to secure another clean sheet. The Gunners have now kept four clean sheets in their five games across all competitions since the start of the season, including a Champions League win over Napoli in midweek.

Arteta was particularly pleased with the character his players showed.

“It’s incredible what spirit and courage we have to go again and again and again,” he said. “So pleased in one sense and so worried in another.

“David Raya has been incredible. He is a player who decides football games when we need it.”

The Arsenal boss also acknowledged Sunderland’s contribution in a tough game. “They deserve a lot of credit for making it so difficult for you,” he added.

– The end

Published on:

13 Sep 2026 12:55 PM IST