Mikel Arteta expresses ‘unbelievable’ frustration after VAR denies Fulham’s potential winner…

Mikel Arteta expresses his astonishment following VAR’s decision to disallow Fulham’s potential winning goal against Arsenal.

Arsenal’s Premier League title competitors, Liverpool, had their match against Everton postponed on Saturday, while the Gunners could only manage a draw against Fulham on Sunday afternoon.

Following the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta lamented the “unbelievable” fine margins that prevented his team from securing a win at Fulham.

Heading into the match in West London, Arteta’s squad had the opportunity to reduce the gap to Liverpool to just four points after the postponement of Saturday’s Merseyside Derby.

However, they settled for a draw, marking their third consecutive game without a victory against Marco Silva’s side.

After Raul Jimenez scored an early goal, Arsenal equalized thanks to a close offside decision that favored William Saliba.

However, the Gunners faced a setback late in the match when Gabriel Martinelli was ruled offside before assisting Bukayo Saka, who appeared to have scored the winning goal.

As a result, Arsenal finished the weekend six points behind Liverpool, having played one more game, but they remain two points ahead of last season’s champions, Manchester City.

Arteta acknowledged his team’s response to going behind in the first half but expressed his clear frustration.

“Very disappointed not to win the game,” Arteta stated during his interview with Match of the Day.

“Overall, we absolutely dominated the game from start to finish, executing our game plan effectively.

Unfortunately, we conceded one goal from a single shot, but the way the team played and their desire to win was remarkable.

It’s incredibly unfortunate that such fine margins can determine victory or defeat in this league, and that’s what is disappointing tonight.”

The initial phase of our game was remarkable; we took control of the ball, executed a strong high press, and dominated every facet of the match.

Yet, out of nowhere, we found ourselves a goal down, which highlights the quality present in this league.

Despite being 1-0 behind, the team responded instantly, equalizing and pushing for another goal.

We fought until the final whistle, but unfortunately, we did not receive the reward we hoped for today.

Regarding the missed opportunity to take advantage of Liverpool’s postponed match, the Spaniard remarked: “We have excellent momentum, with the team performing well and securing numerous victories.

Today, we aimed to replicate that success, and while the performance was undoubtedly there, the winning chances were high. However, this is football, and the margins are incredibly narrow.”

Former Arsenal player Paul Merson expressed his disappointment during the Sky Sports coverage, particularly regarding Martinelli’s offside position leading up to Saka’s goal.

“He was offside, and in football terms, what Martinelli did is unacceptable,” the pundit stated.

“I cannot emphasize enough that in football, you simply cannot be in that position. You must be aware of the line, especially with his speed.”

“He’s incredibly fast, so he doesn’t need to push the limits to stay onside; he could afford to give a yard or two.

“I would be surprised if he doesn’t face some consequences from the manager when he returns to the dressing room. Honestly.”

“You could see it on his face afterward; he understood the mistake. You cannot afford to be offside when you are aware of the line.”

“The key takeaway when monitoring the line is to avoid being offside—it’s as straightforward as that.”