Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has described the penalty given to Sunderland as "unacceptable at this level". The penalty was awarded after Arsenal defender Ezri Konsa was deemed to have hauled Sunderland's Dan Ballard to the ground, but Arteta believes the Sunderland player was at fault.
The Arsenal manager was furious with the referee's decision, saying: "It's a judo roll from the opponent. Ezri does nothing." He also expressed his disappointment that the game was "unprotected" and that the penalty could have cost his team the win and momentum.
Arteta's comments come after Arsenal's 2-0 win at Sunderland, with Bruno Guimarães and Bukayo Saka scoring the goals. The win was tempered by Arteta's anger at the referee's decision, but he was pleased with his team's performance and hailed Guimarães's goal as "beautiful".
The next step for Sunderland is to review the referee's decision and consider any potential appeals.