Arteta angered by VAR as ‘soft’ call costs Arsenal in defeat at Man Utd that ends 100 per cent start

Mikel Arteta has added his voice to those calling for consistency from VAR after seeing a “soft” call cost Arsenal in a defeat at Manchester United.

• Gunners drop first points
• Big decision goes against them
• Technology causing controversy

WHAT HAPPENED? The Gunners slipped to a 3-1 reversal at Old Trafford as their 100 per cent start to the 2022-23 Premier League campaign came to a screeching halt. Things could have been very different, though, had an early goal from Gabriel Martinelli been allowed to stand – with that effort ruled out due to a supposed foul on Christian Eriksen by Martin Odegaard.

WHAT THEY SAID: Arteta, who also saw VAR decisions go against his side in a 2-1 victory at Aston Villa, told Sky Sports: “Lack of consistency. One is soft and last week they made a foul on Aaron [Ramsdale] but it is soft, it is not a foul. There is a foul on Bukayo [Saka], it is soft but not a penalty. Today it is a foul. The threshold in the first actions, you could see there is no yellow card because they want to keep a threshold in a big game. Really difficult to understand.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Arsenal have dropped their first points of the season, with a debut goal form United new boy Antony and a brace for Marcus Rashford putting them to the sword at Old Trafford.

AND WHAT'S MORE: Saka was on target for the Gunners, who bossed proceedings for long periods, and Arteta added on the performance of his side: “I am really disappointed to lose the game especially with the way it went over the 95 minutes. We had some big periods where we were totally dominant and in total control. We created chance after chance but did not close the game. In any moment, when they have open spaces, they are going to hurt you.”

STORY IN THREE PHOTOS:

DID YOU KNOW? Arsenal have won just one of their last 16 away Premier League matches against Manchester United (D5 L10).

WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL? The Gunners, who remain a point clear at the top of the table, will be back in action on Thursday when they face FC Zurich in the Europa League.