Following a comfortable 2-0 victory, the Arsenal manager demanded an immediate inquiry into the officiating crew. Arteta claims the decision to award Sunderland a penalty subjected his squad to unacceptable levels of hypothetical adversity.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has officially petitioned the Premier League to investigate the officiating crew that subjected his squad to the terrifying, 30-second scenario of almost conceding a goal during Tuesday's 2-0 victory over Sunderland.
Speaking at a somber postgame press conference, Arteta bypassed questions about his team's dominant performance to condemn the referee's unacceptable decision to award Sunderland a second-half penalty. Though the ensuing spot-kick was easily saved and Arsenal maintained a comfortable multi-goal lead until the final whistle, the manager argued that merely asking his players to line up on the edge of the 18-yard box and brace for the possibility of a setback was a gross dereliction of duty by the league office.
The global broadcasting product suffers immeasurably when a billion-dollar franchise is forced to pause its attacking rhythm just to watch a visiting side attempt to alter the narrative.
According to sources at the Emirates, the club's front office is preparing a formal grievance with the refereeing body PGMOL, demanding that top-flight clubs be granted the right to unilaterally decline defensive set pieces if they feel the call ruins the overall aesthetic of their win. The document reportedly includes biometric data showing the severe spikes in heart rate Arsenal defenders experienced while waiting for the Sunderland forward to place the ball on the spot.
Arteta confirmed he will be forced to implement load management protocols ahead of the weekend fixture, citing the deep psychological fatigue his squad endured while watching a meaningless penalty bounce harmlessly away from the net.