“It is offside” - Mikel Arteta accuses officials of changing the rules for Brentford’s equaliser against Arsenal
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was visibly frustrated and disappointed with the officials during the Gunners' 1-1 draw against Brentford in the Premier League on February 11.
He argued that the rules had been changed in favor of the opposition and that Brentford's equalizing goal, scored by Ivan Toney in the 74th minute, should have been disallowed for offside.
Leandro Trossard scored the opening goal for Arsenal in the 66th minute.
🗣️ Arteta on if Brentford’s goal was offside:
“Yes I just looked and it is offside yes. It is frustrating but they will probably give an explanation later in the week. Today we haven’t got one. You have to apply certain principles in defending but that depends on you following… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/gn7qDBdXv7
Speaking after the game, Arteta explained (via Football365):
"I just looked back and it is offside, yes. The action when you get blocked when you are offside. You cannot block if you are offside. I’m hoping the cameras and the visuals, maybe it looks like there were two actions. I don’t know. It’s too late, it’s fine, the goal was allowed and we dropped two points."
FT: Arsenal 1-1 Brentford.
Arteta's team drop points again! Manchester City could close the gap down to just 3 points tomorrow! https://t.co/fvcSvKj5Zf
He continued:
"I’m saying the second one (an offside call against Christian Norgaard) – I don’t know because you have to see the line the way they see it with the cameras. I don’t know. It’s irrelevant. It’s gone."
The manager revealed that Arsenal would be in contact with the league regarding the situation:
"We always assess the game with them (the Premier League) and we give our views and our points. But it’s too late. They will probably give an explanation later in the week. Today we haven’t got one."
He continued:
"You have to apply certain principles in defending and you do that by sticking to the rules, suddenly you change the rules and then you have to change your principles. So tell us before so then you don’t hide the line that high, because you’re always going to have an advantage if you get blocked."
Despite the disappointing result against Brentford, Arsenal still hold a six-point lead over Manchester City, their closest competitors in the race for the title. With City set to face Aston Villa on Sunday and then the Gunners on Wednesday, the outcome of these matches could have a decisive influence on the final standings.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank agrees with the referees' decisions against Arsenal
The Brentford head coach was asked about the offside call, which saw his side equalize and secure a point against the league leaders. He responded (via Football365):
“I agree that when they kicked the ball, Ethan is in an offside position. Then as far as I know the football laws, the next question is did he influence the cross? They decided it was not enough and I agree.”
Thomas Frank, the head coach of Brentford, has achieved remarkable results against some of the biggest teams in the Premier League. These include victories over Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool, and draws against Chelsea, Tottenham, and Arsenal.