Arsene Wenger fumes at penalty, criticises the referee

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has expressed his anger and disappointment over the decision to award a penalty to Chelsea in the Gunners 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge in the English Premier League match on Sunday.

The referee for the match, Martin Atkinson had given a yellow card to goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny after he tried to challenge the Blue’s midfielder Ramires in the penalty box even though the replays clearly showed  that the Chelsea player had deliberately stuck out his leg in order to trip over Szczesny and  so should have been booked for diving.

Wenger was furious and said, “I don’t think it was a clear penalty. I think it was no penalty.”

“[The referee] could have given Ramires a yellow card. I didn’t see it well from the bench but I’ve been told by people that have seen it on television that it is no penalty,” he told Sky Sports.

Frank Lampard’s converted penalty ultimately proved decisive after Theo Walcott scored in the second half.

Wenger also vented his frustration at the referee saying that none of the Chelsea goals should have been considered valid as Ramires had clearly fouled the Gunner’s midfielder Francis Coquelin in the build up to Juan Mata’s first goal. The Brazilian had even admitted to the foul later.

The French said: “The referee gave a lot of free-kicks today, and some much less than the Coquelin one. It’s frustrating. It doesn’t mean we should have conceded the goal but, in the big games, these decisions have big implications.”

He was also highly critical of the performance of players and blamed them for their second consecutive slow start after their loss to Man City last weekend.

“We had a similar start to Man City last week, didn’t defend too well and gave them too much incentive,” he said. “We didn’t play well in the first half, but we were much more dangerous in the second half, with a different attitude.

“Unfortunately we didn’t make enough of our corners, free-kicks and the chances we created. That’s why we lost the game. It’s very damaging for our position in the league and difficult to swallow.”

The loss have put Arsenal 11 points behind Chelsea and any chances of ending the season in the top four now seem a bit farfetched.

Tags: Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Chelsea, English Premier League, EPL, Gunners, Manager, Manchester United, Martin Atkinson, Premier League, Stamford Bridge, Wojciech Szczesny