Arteta Fumes: 'Unacceptable' Penalty Call Rocks Arsenal's Win at Sunderland!

Arsenal maintained their flawless start to the Premier League season with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, but manager Mikel Arteta's post-match comments were dominated by a contentious penalty decision. Despite securing a fourth consecutive win, Arteta was visibly furious with referee John Brooks' decision to award Sunderland a penalty early in the second half.

He vehemently argued that Ezri Konsa's challenge on Dan Ballard was not a foul, describing Ballard's movement as a "judo roll" and asserting it was "absolutely unacceptable" at this level of football. Fortunately for the Gunners, goalkeeper David Raya proved to be the hero, making a brilliant save from Enzo Le Fee's spot-kick.

Just two minutes later, Arsenal capitalized on the momentum shift when Bruno Guimaraes unleashed a ferocious shot that found the back of the net, putting Arsenal in the lead.

Bukayo Saka later sealed the victory with a penalty of his own deep in added time.

Arteta's frustration remained palpable even after the win, telling TNT Sports: "It's a huge win, but it could have been something very different.

I'm so upset. It's unacceptable at this level. Unacceptable.

This can change the course of a season, the championship." He reiterated his belief that the incident was not a penalty "in any case, in any game, in any context, in any league.

Raya, who was also credited with another late save from Brian Brobbey, highlighted the importance of his penalty stop.

I think that save made the players and the team to have that faith to keep going and win the game," he said, acknowledging its role in boosting team morale and ultimately leading to Guimaraes' goal.

The Gunners will now turn their attention to a Carabao Cup fixture away to Ipswich Town before visiting Brighton in the Premier League.

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