Mikel Arteta was fuming at the end of Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Sunderland, with the manager particularly unhappy about the contentious penalty awarded to the Black Cats during the match.Sunderland were a very physical team, and there were plenty of duels throughout the game. However, the decision to award a penalty after Daniel Ballard and Ezri Konsa tussled inside the Arsenal box left Arteta and some fans baffled.Raya saves Arsenal from penalty setbackThankfully for the Gunners, David Raya saved the spot kick and kept Arsenal in the game. His intervention proved important as Arsenal went on to open the scoring shortly afterwards and eventually secured a 2-0 victory.Because his team won the match, it would have been understandable for Arteta to put the incident behind him. Instead, the Arsenal boss continued to make his feelings clear and spoke about the decision during his post match press conference.The penalty incident became one of the major talking points despite Arsenal eventually securing the result. While the Gunners were able to overcome the decision, there remains frustration over how such incidents are handled during matches.(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)Hackett backs referee’s decisionHowever, former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett believes the referee made the right call. He argued that grappling inside the penalty area has been allowed to go unpunished for too long and welcomed the official taking action.He said via Football London:“Amazing – they are conditioned and have allowed grappling to blight our game. Good to see a ref do something about it.”Hackett’s comments offer a different perspective on the incident, with the former PGMOL chief believing the referee was right to intervene rather than allow the tussle between Ballard and Konsa to continue.The most frustrating part of the situation from an Arsenal point of view is the inconsistency surrounding such decisions. While the penalty was awarded against them this time, similar incidents in other matches involving different teams might not result in a spot kick.That uncertainty is likely to remain a source of frustration for Arteta and Arsenal, particularly when decisions can have such a significant impact on matches._____________________________________________________________________________________________ADMIN COMMENTSo here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us through this link…More Stories / Latest NewsFormer PGMOL chief backs referee for awarding penalty against Arsenal14 September 2026, 17:00Noni Madueke Leaving Arsenal Already? Seriously, Why Would We? – Opinion14 September 2026, 16:00Thomas Frank admits Raya has got better since he had him in his team14 September 2026, 15:00The post Former PGMOL chief backs referee for awarding penalty against Arsenal appeared first on Just Arsenal News.