It’s becoming a familiar scenario: a decision goes against Arsenal and Mikel Arteta cuts a furious figure in his post-match media commitments.
The Spaniard’s brow is furrowed and he glares at his inquisitor with anger seemingly seeping out of every pore.
It was the same script at the Stadium of Light on Saturday night following Arsenal’s gutsy 2-0 win against Sunderland. Arteta’s team were hugely impressive, staring down the hosts’ blood and thunder approach and a partisan crowd to emerge with a victory that once again reinforced the belief it will take something special for the reigning champions to be dethroned.
They were a long way from their fluent best, in part due to a draining week that included wins at home to Chelsea and at Napoli and in part due to a Sunderland performance that would have overwhelmed most teams in the Premier League.
But they found a way and boarded the flight south having maintained their 100% record.
Arteta ought to have been thrilled but, instead of heaping praise on his players, opted to use his media duties to talk about the penalty awarded to the hosts after referee John Brooks and VAR Stuart Attwell deemed Ezri Konsa had fouled Dan Ballard inside the box.
According to Arteta, the foul ought to have been given the other way round, accusing former Gunner Ballard of performing a “judo roll” on the England international. Enzo Le Fee saw his spot-kick brilliantly saved by David Raya before Bruno Guimaraes and Bukayo Saka netted to sink the Wearsiders.
“Today the game was unprotected and it could have cost us the game and the momentum which is a really, really serious thing,” he fumed.
“It’s not a penalty in any case, in any game, in any context, in any league” 😳
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 12, 2026
Mikel Arteta reflects on Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Sunderland 👀@jules_breach | 📺 Stream with TNT Sports on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/2BUZILexk3
Arteta’s Arsenal not used to seeing decisions go against them
Cry me a river, Mikel.
Does Arteta care about the protection of the game? Of course not.
Was he concerned when Arsenal were found to have been, along with Chelsea, the biggest beneficiaries of refereeing and VAR errors last season, according to the Premier League’s key match incidents (KMI) panel? Of course not.
Was he concerned when his side became the first in Premier League history not to receive a red card or concede a penalty in a single season last term? Of course not.
You could feasibly argue inconsistencies in refereeing are matched by inconsistencies in Arteta’s care for the game.
This was a pre-planned attack by the Arsenal boss, no doubt mindful that at some point a key decision would go against his side, especially given the clampdown on wrestling inside the penalty area, a transgression made into an art form by the North London side in their title-winning season.
Is it just Arteta who could benefit from a lesson in humility and integrity? Absolutely not. Too often managers are using their media interactions as an opportunity to manipulate the narrative, to apply pressure and to alter perceptions.
If it wasn’t so transparent it’d be genius. And yet, turn on any TV channel or radio station over the past two days and your ears would have been subjected to a talking head discussing the merits of Arteta’s argument.
Does that mean Arteta was wrong in his judgement of the penalty call? No, on reflection, he had a valid point. But where does it end? It simply cannot be that every single decision is correct – even with VAR as a fallback. The VAR is still a human being and most decisions require an element of subjectivity.
It cannot be that every perceived human error is met with outrage, whether it is faux or genuine.
Arteta has duty to protect the game, not just Arsenal
Arteta talks about protecting the game. As someone in his lofty position, he has greater leverage to do exactly that and Saturday was the perfect opportunity.
His team played well and won. Why not come out, acknowledge he felt the penalty call was a mistake, but then throw his support behind referees, the VAR, and offer an appreciation of the difficulties of a job that will never, ever produce results that satisfy everyone?
Idealistic? Perhaps.
But, had he done that, Arteta would have enhanced a reputation that is frequently tarnished by his touchline antics and perhaps even swung popular opinion in his, and his team’s, favour.
As it is, he didn’t and it was another bruising weekend for the Premier League and its referees.
Arteta did get one thing right; the game does need protecting. Unfortunately, it is from the likes of him.
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