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Sean Dyche shuts down Martin Keown over penalty debate, Arteta takes issue with PGMO’s explanation

Sean Dyche shuts down Martin Keown over the Ola Aina penalty debate while Mikel Arteta takes issue with PGMO’s explanation.

Nottingham Forest held Arsenal to a 0-0 draw at the City Ground,  a valuable point against the Premier League leaders with a strong defensive display.

But the game saw controversy with VAR check clearing Aina of handball, Arsenal left frustrated at not being awarded a ‘clear penalty’.

Sean Dyche agreed that it was the right call, but pundit Martin Keown strongly disagreed during a lively post-match debate on TNT Sports.

Forest also saw Jurrien Timber foul Callum Hudson-Odoi on the edge of the box and contact on the inside too, only for referee Michael Oliver awarded only a free-kick and VAR upholding the decision.

“If these start getting given, we might as well leave it,” said Dyche.

“You never know but I think that’s ridiculous. We have to be careful with these. You might as well cancel football if you give that one.”

Keown disagreed, with Dyche then adding: “No, I’m being serious. In your day, would you have accepted that?”

Keown admitted: “Well, no, but we’re now playing in this era… I don’t think it was a natural movement towards the ball. But I’d be happy, in your situation, to have got away with that.”

In response, Dyche insisted: “No, the rules have to be careful. I tell you what they should do, they should start looking at people feigning injury, that’s the next one. That’s the new diving. I wouldn’t worry about the handball.”

When the incident was reviewed, VAR deemed the ball to have come off Aina’s shoulder at first, and also said his arm had been in a natural position.

The Forest defender was nudged in the back by teammate Elliot Anderson as they both went for the ball having come under pressure from Gabriel Jesus.

Dyche also felt his side should have had a penalty of their own only for the referee to give a free-kick instead of a penalty and Darren England on VAR stuck with the call.

“What about our one?” said Dyche. “It was right on the line of the box. They’re staying it’s outside but he’s in full flight, going into the box. He’s going to get there.”

Arteta told TNT Sports after the game: “The clear penalty that we cannot forget. That is a clear penalty in the box that’s not been given. Those are the margins.

“I saw it live, I saw it here. I saw it now again. It’s very unnecessary but he brings the ball in with his hand.”

“They are right, it hits the shoulder. Then he takes the ball with his hand,” said Arteta in his press conference.

“The explanation is not right. The rest, the order [of what it hits] is ok, the timing and the intention of the player is very clear. If not, I wouldn’t be sitting here saying in my opinion, it’s a very clear penalty.”

Keown said: “We are asking for the right decisions, it is not about a high bar. I think Forest are lucky.

“There is enough of a gap between the ball hitting his shoulder, and then he seems to cup the ball. He seems to move his arm around. I would have liked the referee to have gone and had a look to see what he thought.”

Gerrard said: “I think his body action is natural as it comes towards the ball, as he has got to turn into the pitch. Arsenal will feel hard done by that the referee has not at least had the chance to come towards the screen, but I do not think it is a clear and obvious mistake from the referee in the first place, because we have seen it in slow motion and it looks a lot worse than in real time.

“I think it would have been a bit soft and unfair on Forest, in my opinion, but I can understand why Mikel Arteta is frustrated. There is definitely a shout there, but I do not think it is clear as Martin and Mikel Arteta are saying, I do not think it is blatant and clear.”

Here’s how fans reacted after Sean Dyche shuts down Martin Keown over the penalty debate, and Mikel Arteta takes issue with PGMO’s explanation…

@forestmad80: Sean Dyche 1-0 Martin Keown Fed up with these biased commentators. We have Neville against us at United, Carra at Liverpool etc. They shouldn’t be commentating etc when it’s their team as abhorrently one sided.

@TheVillaHome: fair play to Dyche. Keown is one of the biggest prat’s on tv when it comes to analysing football! Dyche wading in on him and saying what every other football fan thinks 😂 👏🏼

@FrankyM2021: Best part of this is him calling out the ‘feigning injuries’ – quality 🤣👏🏼

@ashburtonXI: Lol Sean Dyche would be sticking a chapter in his autobiography about it if his team was denied that

@PatoharaPat: Go on Dychey mate. Sick of these fucking idiots commentating on the sides they support. They might as well have got that idiot from arsenal TV on. I always say this imagine England getting knocked out to that decision. The sun would be camping outside the ref’s house #nffc

@Billyinho7: Oh fuck off, you just know he’d be crying like a baby if it was against him. #afc

@dj_zotov: 💯% spot on. Never a penalty and that’s before you analyse Jesus’ foul on Aina earlier. #NFFC

@NFFC_Callum: My fucking gaffer say it how it is 😍 #nffc

@The_BoleynBoys: Dyche telling Keown to piss off 🤣 Love to see it.

@mkmore4: That’s a stonewall handball anywhere on the field. Why shouldn’t it be called in the box? He swipes at the ball to avoid conceding a corner. Just because it didn’t stop a clear scoring opportunity or shot doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be a pen.

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