Arteta: We Deserved a Penalty Against Nottingham; We Could Have Performed Better

Arsenal’s Spanish manager, Mikel Arteta, expressed his frustration following a stalemate against hosts Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

Arsenal had to settle for a single point after a 0-0 draw at the City Ground on Saturday evening, as part of the 22nd round of the English Premier League.

“A Tight and Difficult Game”
Speaking to the BBC after the final whistle, Arteta said: “We certainly wanted to win. We knew the match would be extremely difficult and very tight, given the way they play.”

He added: “We created four very clear-cut chances, in addition to a blatant penalty that wasn’t awarded, but we were unable to clinch the win.”

Penalty Controversy
Addressing the disputed officiating, the Gunners’ boss continued: “I have seen the replay, and I believe there was a clear intent to block the ball inside the area; it is a stonewall penalty. I honestly do not understand why it wasn’t given.”

Arteta admitted his side was not perfect: “We could have performed better, but this happens to all teams in every league match. We must improve and be more clinical, especially when we create four high-quality chances—we have to take them.”

Defensive Challenges
“You have to create a high volume of chances. We created a fair number today, but credit must also go to them [Nottingham Forest players]; they are very organized and clever at disrupting your momentum throughout the game,” he noted.

He concluded: “We were aware of that and tried to score until the final moments. I don’t think we conceded a single shot on target, but these are the fine margins in football, and we just couldn’t find a way to win.”

The Title Race Standings
With this draw, Arsenal moves to 50 points, maintaining a 7-point lead over Manchester City and Aston Villa. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest increases its tally to 22 points, sitting in 17th place.