Mikel Arteta responds to Arsenal penalty decision amid VAR controversy against Hull

Arteta expressed surprise at the decision to deny Arsenal a penalty when Havertz was fouled in the box but ruled offside, calling for clarity on how the law applies.

Arsenal beat Hull 1-0 with Martin Odegaard's goal in the 70th minute, but the match was overshadowed by a controversial penalty decision in the first half. Kai Havertz was pulled back in the box, and referee Farai Hallam went to the monitor to review. The penalty was denied because Havertz was in an offside position at the moment of the foul, though the offside law's interpretation in such cases remains ambiguous.

Arteta said he was surprised by the decision. "When they sent the referee to the monitor the bench was telling me that it's a clear penalty, it's pulling," he explained. "I know they decided not to because the starting position of Kai was offside, so I don't know what the interpretation is."

The manager called for greater clarity on how the offside rule interacts with fouls in the box. He noted that precedent is inconsistent: Newcastle were awarded a penalty despite a player being offside, while Brentford's penalty against Leeds was overturned for the same reason. "I need to understand the decision, what is overruling what in terms of the decision making," Arteta said.