Newcastle v Arsenal: Pictures
David Raya has revealed that the Arsenal squad have been left ‘angry’ and ‘frustrated’ by how they were beaten by Newcastle on Saturday night. The Gunners tasted defeat in the Premier League for the first time this season during their trip to St James’ Park, with Anthony Gordon scoring the all-important goal in the second half.
However, the Magpies’ victory was not without controversy and questions have been raised about the only goal on the night. After a cross to the back post, Gordon was on hand to scramble the ball home from close range after Joelinton had managed to knock the ball into his teammate’s path.
Referee Stuart Atwell awarded the goal, with VAR eventually agreeing with the on-field decision after a lengthy review of the incident despite several question marks against it. Arsenal have been left fuming by the decision though, feeling that the ball went out of play before it was retrieved by Joe Willock out wide.
Following the playmaker’s cross, Joelinton and Gabriel collided inside the box before Gordon tapped home. Both incidents have caused a stir, with some feeling that the Arsenal defender was fouled and that Gordon was also in an offside position when the ball fell into his path – meaning there were three contentious circumstances surrounding the goal.
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Speaking about the goal, Arsenal goalkeeper Raya explained: “We are all frustrated. My point of view is I saw the ball going out of play. I think it is a foul on Gabriel, he [Joelinton] pushes him on the back and the decision was it wasn’t a foul. I don’t think it was supposed to go that way. And in my opinion, it was offside. We are very, very disappointed.
“We competed very well today away from home. A very tough place to come. The way we played deserved a bit more than a loss. A draw would have been more fair, it was very even. Everyone in the dressing room is very frustrated and obviously angry.”
Raya’s message shared the same sentiment as Mikel Arteta’s post-match interviews, where the Spaniard slammed the use of VAR and labelled the goal as a ‘disgrace’.
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The Arsenal boss said: “We didn’t deserve to lose the match. We lost the match because of the clear and obvious decisions. It’s embarrassing. A disgrace. That’s what it is. A disgrace.
“There’s so much at stake, we put so many hours. I am here to represent the football club and get my team competing at the highest level possible. The margins are so small. It’s a disgrace, it’s embarrassing.
“That’s how I fell and how everyone feels in that [dressing] room. You cannot imagine the amount of messages I got saying this cannot continue. It’s embarrassing.”
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