Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal LIVE: Mikel Arteta fumes over controversial penalty determination that ‘changes course of tie’
Atletico Madrid and Arsenal will resume hostilities for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on level terms after an intense first meeting at the Metropolitano finished 1-1.
The opener came courtesy of Viktor Gyokeres, who won and scored a penalty in the closing minutes of the first half to send Arsenal ahead in the tie.
But Julian Alvarez levelled from a spot kick of his own after Ben White was punished for handball. Then Arsenal thought they had been awarded a second penalty when Eberechi Eze went down in the box but the decision was reversed following a lengthy VAR check.
Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, was left fuming after the decision to disallow the penalty supposedly won by Eze and lambasted the incident as ‘against the rules’ before adding that it ‘changes the course of the tie.’ The two teams face each other again on Tuesday next week for the second leg.
Relive the updates with our live blog below:
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Arsenal will look to extend their gap on top of the Premier League when Fulham visit on Saturday at 17:30 before Atletico come to the Emirates next Tuesday.
Simeone’s side visit Valencia at 15:15 on Saturday.
Is this a penalty?
Enthralling in its own way
Arsenal could be encouraged but frustrated, if also relieved from one or two occasions. Atletico could be proud, and roused. And if this tie was always going to be compared unfavourably to Tuesday, it did ebb and flow in its own absorbing way.
That’s the thing about this stage of the competition. Obviously you would prefer the spectacle of Paris, but the very tension of being so close to the club game’s greatest fixture guarantees every moment is enthralling in its way.
Keown continues
Some more from the ex-defender on TV. He was furious.
“The Arsenal fans going to the second leg have got to make it equally as horrible for the opposition,” he said.
“Look at Simeone, the way he’s running around there, honestly, you’ve got to keep your decorum after a game but something was very wrong there tonight.”
Simeone slated
Diego Simeone has come under criticism for pressuring the referee and fourth official as they made key VAR calls during Atletico Madrid’s draw with Arsenal, with Steve McManaman calling the Argentine’s behaviour “atrocious”.
The Atletico boss has long been known for his explosive touchline demeanour, and he was once again at the centre of things as he put pressure on fourth official Serdar Gozubuyuk and referee Danny Makkelie as the Dutchman reviewed a decision to award Arsenal a penalty.
Makkelie originally awarded the Gunners a penalty as David Hancko appeared to trip Eberechi Eze in the Atletico box, though he was sent to the VAR monitor and eventually overturned the original decision after watching 13 replays of the original incident.
Inside the decisions, penalties and controversies that defined Arsenal’s draw with Atletico
Three huge penalty decisions affected the Champions League semi-final clash with VAR the biggest talking point of the post-match reaction.
There were a series of decision and possible controversies that defined the encounter with referee Danny Makkelie called into action on an evening that will be remembered more for the intervention of VAR than the football played.
