"Mikel Arteta is absolutely spot on" - Gary Lineker comments on Brighton penalty against Arsenal amid controversy

Football pundit Gary Lineker reckons Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is justified in feeling aggrieved after Brighton and Hove Albion scored from a controversial penalty. The Gunners were held to a frustrated 1-1 draw in their Premier League clash at the Amex on Saturday, December 4.

Arsenal had a strong start, taking an early lead in the 16th minute via Ethan Nwaneri's effort. However, Brighton's persistence paid off after the break when William Saliba accidentally made contact with Joao Pedro's head in an effort to head the ball away.

Match referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot, much to Arteta's chagrin. VAR appeared to agree with Taylor's decision, which led to Pedro converting his spot-kick (61') to seal a point for the Seagulls.

Arteta was furious with Brighton's penalty after the game as he told BBC (via Fabrizio Romano):

“I have never seen something like this in my life. I am really disappointed. He touches the ball as well!”

Lineker agreed as he said (via The Boot Room):

"I think Mikel Arteta is absolutely spot on – it [the ball] was clearly headed by Saliba."

Fellow pundit Micah Richards replied:

“I can understand why people think it’s a penalty – I don’t think it’s a penalty, because he heads the ball as well and you’ll see it clearly on the third angle here. As the ball comes in, you can clearly see that Saliba heads the ball, so I don’t think that is a penalty.”

Danny Murphy added:

“I don’t think it’s a penalty, they both head the ball before they clash, they’re both genuinely going for it, it’s a coming together. The other thing is, why now? We’ve never seen it before.”

Lineker stated:

“Never ever have we seen penalties given for head clashes. I’ve watched football for far too long and I’ve never seen a penalty given for a clash of heads, it happens in every corner almost.”

The Premier League Match Centre released an official statement on X during the time of the penalty (58'), sharing why VAR didn't overturn Anthony Taylor's decision. It read:

"The referee’s call of penalty for a foul by Saliba on João Pedro was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed there was sufficient contact for a penalty."

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When will Arsenal next be back in action?

Arsenal were dealt a massive blow after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton & Hove Albion in their Premier League clash. They will be aiming to bounce back in their next fixture in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final against in-form Newcastle United (January 7).

The Gunners then face Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday, January 12, before returning to the league against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, January 15.

Arsenal are currently second in the league standings with 40 points from 20 games and have drawn two out of their last five games, winning the other three. However, they are five points behind leaders Liverpool, who currently have two games in hand.