It has become a familiar scenario: a decision is made against Arsenal and Mikel Arteta becomes furious during his post-match media commitments.
The Spaniard frowned and glared at the inquisitor, anger seeming to seep from every pore.
The same script played out at the Stadium of Light on Saturday night as Arsenal beat Sunderland 2-0. Arteta’s side were so impressive that they witnessed a bloody and thunderous attack from the hosts and a victory from a partisan crowd that once again reinforced the belief that the reigning champions will need something special to be toppled.
They’re still a long way from their fluent best, in part because of an exhausting week that included a win vs chelsea at home and Napoli, partly because Sunderland have outperformed most teams in the Premier League.
But they found a way, boarded a flight south and maintained a 100% record.
Arteta should have been excited, but instead of heaping praise on his players, he chose to use his media duties to talk about the home side’s penalty after referee John Brooks and VAR Stuart Atwell deemed Ezri Konsa had fouled Dan Ballard in the box.
According to Arteta, the foul should have been reversed, with former Gunner Ballard accused of performing a “judo roll” on the England international. Enzo Le Fee’s penalty was brilliantly saved by David Raya before goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Bukayo Saka sunk the Wearside side.
“Today’s game was not protected and it could have cost us the game and the momentum and that’s a very, very serious thing,” he fumed.
“No matter what, in any game, in any situation, in any league, this is not a penalty” đŸ˜³
Mikel Arteta reflects on Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Sunderland đŸ‘€@jules_breach | đŸ“º Watch TNT Sports live on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/2BUZILexk3
— Football on TNT Sports Network (@footballontnt) September 12, 2026
Arteta’s Arsenal are not used to seeing decisions go against them
Let me cry like a river, Mikel.
Does Arteta care about game protection? Of course not.
Was he worried when problems were discovered at Arsenal and Chelsea? The biggest beneficiary What were the number of refereeing and VAR errors last season, according to the Premier League’s Key Match Incident (KMI) group? Of course not.
Was he concerned when his team last season became the first in Premier League history to not receive a red card or concede a penalty in a single season? Of course not.
You could reasonably argue that the refereeing inconsistency is consistent with Arteta’s inconsistent care of the game.
It was a pre-planned attack by the Arsenal boss, no doubt aware that at some point a crucial decision would go against his side, especially given the restrictions on wrestling in the penalty area, a transgression that the north London side turned into an art form during their title-winning season.
Could it be that only Arteta could benefit from a lesson in humility and integrity? Absolutely not. Managers often use media interactions as an opportunity to manipulate narratives, apply pressure, and change perceptions.
It would be genius if it weren’t so transparent. Yet, turn on any TV channel or radio station over the past two days and your ears will be exposed to a conversation discussing the merits of Arteta’s arguments.
Does this mean Arteta was wrong about the penalty? No, when you think about it, his point makes sense. But where does it end? It’s impossible to make every decision right – even with VAR as a backup. VAR is still human and most decisions require a subjective element.
It’s unlikely that every perceived human error, false or real, will be met with outrage.
Arteta has a responsibility to protect the game, not just Arsenal
Arteta talks about protecting the game. As a man of high status, he has greater clout to do so, and Saturday is the perfect opportunity.
His team played well and won. Why not come out and admit that he thinks the penalty was a mistake, then support the referee, VAR and express appreciation for the difficulty of a job that never yields a result that satisfies everyone?
Idealistic? Maybe.
But if he does, Arteta will enhance his reputation, which has often been tarnished by his antics on the touchline, and may even sway public opinion in favor of him and his team.
The fact that he didn’t made it another painful weekend for the Premier League and its referees.
Arteta did get one thing right: the game did need protection. It’s unfortunate that this comes from someone like him.