Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Adam Jones

'Enough is enough' - Mikel Arteta lashes out at VAR after Everton defeat

Mikel Arteta hit out at VAR after Arsenal fell to a 1-0 defeat to Everton at the Emirates Stadium on Friday evening.

An own goal from Bernd Leno in the second half was enough to separate the sides after the goalkeeper made an error in trying to save a low cross from Richarlison.

That helped Carlo Ancelotti's side end a run of five matches without a victory in the Premier League and secured the Blues' first win away to Arsenal since 1996.

However, following the game, the Gunners boss was fuming with the officials and VAR in particular.

Arteta's ire centred around a decision early in the first half in which Dani Ceballos had seemingly won a penalty after minimal contact from a Richarlison challenge in the box.

The decision was later reversed after an offside was spotted in the build-up to the tackle, before Everton's winning goal was also later checked for a similar incident before being allowed.

The decisions came together to incense the Arsenal boss, who was livid in his post-match press conference.

Arteta remarked: "This is building up, enough is enough.

"Today, to be fair, I'd had enough.

"We've had many of them that no-one explains. When they explain, they say sorry, yes it was a mistake. But unfortunately it's affecting our people, it affects our job and, most importantly, our football club.

"When they do [say sorry] it's behind a telephone.

"I really like that we can make use of the technology, it's just that we need consistency and clarity. We want to see their faces and responses.

"We're always hearing from the media trying to explain why we do something, why we do the other thing. I think it has to be clear and explained.

"We lost the game for different reasons. One for things we can do better and should do better, one that we cannot control."

The match went ahead after huge protests outside the ground from Arsenal fans following their club's involvement in the controversial Super League plans earlier in the week.

However, Arteta refused to blame that for the performance of his side, as they had prepared in advance for the demonstrations taking place.

"No, no. We knew that was happening, we knew our fans' feelings and we made our preparations with that in mind. It's not an excuse," the Gunners manager added.

"We lost the game because, at the end, when we had to defend the game in the crucial moments or we had the chances we wanted - we didn't do that.

"When we earned the right to score, with the decisions, that was taken away."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.