"It wasn't given" - Pundit claims Arsenal were denied a clear penalty against Southampton

Former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has claimed that Gunners striker Gabriel Jesus was robbed of a penalty during his team's recent 1-1 Premier League draw against Southampton.

The Gunners dropped points for the second time in their ongoing Premier League season at St. Mary's Stadium on Sunday (October 23).

After Granit Xhaka opened the scoring in the 11th minute, Stuart Armstrong restored parity with a cool finish near the hour mark.

However, a major talking point emerged in the first half of the contest. Jesus went to ground inside the penalty area under intense pressure from Duje Caleta-Car but referee Robert Jones turned a blind eye to the incident. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) official Peter Bankes also chose not to intervene and upended the on-field decision.

Speaking to Football Insider, Campbell adjudged the aforementioned challenge on Jesus to be a clear foul inside the penalty box. He said:

"Look, the defender is the wrong side of Jesus. That should tell you everything. The defender is the wrong side and he impedes the striker. That is it. It is a foul. If that was outside the box, the referee would have given it. Why should he not give it when it is inside the box?"

Campbell also revealed his confusion regarding the new rules governing a penalty incident and said that it depends on the referee. He added:

"That incident is a penalty. It wasn't given though. Sometimes you get the rub of the green and sometimes you don't. The truth of the matter is, I do not know what a penalty is anymore. I do not see the difference between that challenge and other challenges where penalties were given. I guess it comes down to the referee."

Arsenal are currently atop the 2022-23 Premier League standings with 28 points from 11 games, just two points ahead of Manchester City.

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Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus reveals chat with referee regarding penalty call

Speaking after the end of Arsenal's recent stalemate at Southampton, Jesus shed light on his chat with referee Robert Jones about the penalty decision. He said (via Football London):

"I don’t like to talk about the referee's decisions, I just want to talk about our performance but sometimes it can change the game. I spoke with him straight after and he said: 'If you go down before, maybe I can give a penalty'."

Jesus claimed that Jones' decision was fair. He added:

"But I think I was fair. I tried to hold, tried to keep standing, tried to finish the action but in the end, he grabbed me and it was impossible, so I go down normally. But that is not the reason why we didn’t win the game."

Arsenal are next scheduled to be in action against PSV Eindhoven at Philips Stadion in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, October 27.