Chris Sutton has slammed Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe’s attempt to win a penalty in their game against Crystal Palace last night on BBC Radio Five Live.
Desperate times
With Arsenal trailing 2-1, Pepe was given a chance to cut inside into the box.
But rather than attempting a left-footed curler, which has become one of his trademarks, the Ivorian went down in the box under no contact.
Mike Dean quickly waved away his appeals for a spot-kick, and Sutton was less than impressed with the ease with which the Gunners’ wide-man went down.
“That is pathetic from Pepe,” he fumed. “He should be booked for diving. That’s appalling.”
Frustrating night for Pepe
It rather summed up what was a fairly frustrating evening for Pepe.
He started brightly, with his shot creating the opening goal for Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
However, after that, Arsenal’s record signing struggled to have any major impact.
Palace ultimately grew into the game, and were slightly unfortunate not to be walking away with all three points at the end.
Pepe’s place in Arsenal’s starting line-up must surely be under threat now, especially after both Alexandre Lacazette and Gabriel Martinelli made impressive impacts from the bench.
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