Ian Wright said on Match of the Day on BBC One (11:10pm, February 6, 2021) that Arsenal were denied a penalty against Aston Villa at Villa Park.
The Arsenal legend said that Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez committed a foul on striker Alexandre Lacazette.
Martinez seemed to pull down the Arsenal striker and his former teammate inside the box following a corner.
However, the officials deemed that it was the French striker who had committed a foul on the Argentine goalkeeper by pushing him.
Wright said that it was a clear penalty and slammed the decision, and Match of the Day presenter and former Tottenham Hotspur striker Gary Lineker responded to him.
Wright said on Match of the Day on BBC One (11:10pm, February 6, 2021): “This is a penalty because I think you can see he has grabbed his (shirt), he has got hold of him there, he has pulled him over.
“Do you know what he has done there? Do you know what he has done there? He has done what they all do as a goalkeeper because you are going to get a foul if you touch the goalkeeper. Honestly, for me, that’s just ridiculous.”
Lineker responded: “Hang on a minute. When do referees ever give anything against a goalkeeper? They are overprotected species.”
Moving on
It was a controversial decision, and as the exchange of messages between Lacazette and Martinez on Twitter shows, it will be debatable for a while.
However, there is nothing that Arsenal can do about it now, and the North London club have to put it behind them and move on.
Mikel Arteta’s side will return to action next weekend when they take on Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium in North London in the Premier League.
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