Liverpool legend Graeme Souness lashed out at Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos for his "embarrassing" moment in the defeat to Everton on Friday night.
Bernd Leno’s own goal further dented the Gunners’ hopes of securing a place in Europe.
However, Arsenal felt they should have had a penalty when Ceballos was brought down in the penalty area, and while the spot-kick was initially given, it was then overturned by VAR with Nicolas Pepe adjudged to have been marginally offside.
That wasn’t what caused Souness to gripe though, who felt Ceballos went down far too easily to initially win the penalty.
“This is embarrassing,” he said on Sky Sports . “Look at this, it’s actually delayed, he hardly catches him but he thinks it’s worth it.
“I’ll go down and see where it takes me. I think he’s chipped the nail varnish on his big toe there.
“It’s beggars belief, and the referee has gone for it.”
Souness also slammed Mikel Arteta for his comments on the incident, with the Spaniard laying into the use of VAR over such a tight decision.
“I think we were better team on the pitch but there are certain decisions we cannot control. Last week it was exactly the same thing,” Arteta fumed after the final whistle.
“We can give them a whistle and they can come next to me and whistle the game because to disallow a goal 15 seconds before, eight or nine touches, I saw it ten times, I cannot see it.
“You can draw the line however you want, how thick you want. When the moment the ball leaves the…
“I don’t get it. The lottery can be taken the way they want. Zero control.”
However, Souness said of the complaints: “There was nothing to get you excited. When a manager comes on and highlights the penalty they shouldn’t have had, if that is what you are hanging your hat on to get a result that isn’t good.
“If you’re hanging your hat on someone diving to get you a penalty that is not a good sign.”
