At a Glance:
- Officiating quality was a point of contention post-game
- According to one pundit, however, the attitude of Diego Simeone was also not appropriate
- Simeone also has stated he does not believe the penalty that was given to Arsenal was fair, either.
Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid was not a sporting event filled with drama, but emotions were clearly high for Atletico’s manager, Diego Simeone.
Viktor Gyokeres would put the Gunners 1-0 up with a coolly-taken penalty in the first half, with Atletico’s Julian Alvarez—who has been linked with a move to North London—converting a penalty of his own in the 56th minute.
Gyokeres’ impressive display earned him the Man of the Match award, but, as usual, he was not the only one in the headlines, as Atleti coach Simeone was a point of controversy yet again.
Officiating was an issue throughout the game and was arguably the biggest story post-match, with Simeone’s reaction drawing the ire of a certain pundit.
READ MORE: Atletico Madrid’s Marcos Llorente shares how he really feels about Arsenal as a team
Diego Simeone’s behaviour was ‘awful’ despite ‘poor’ refereeing throughout, says Steve McManaman
A handball given against Ben White was the reason that Atletico were awarded a spotkick and allowed to level the game in the second half, despite debate from the commentary team on TNT Sports over whether the same decision would be reached if Arsenal were playing a domestic match.
Eberechi Eze looked to be in prime position to put the Gunners back in front at the tail end of the game, with the whistle blown for a second penalty Arsenal’s way in the dying minutes of the match—but it was deemed that there was not enough contact on the 27-year-old as he was brought down in the box.
Speaking post-game, TNT Sports pundit Steve McManaman, who achieved icon status with Liverpool in the 1990s, said that the way Diego Simeone acted towards the officials in the wake of Eze’s penalty potentially being overturned was unprofessional.
“We’re talking about VAR, again. I absolutely hate it. It spoils the game… I thought the behaviour of Diego Simeone and his assistants when the referee was trying to come over and look at the monitor was atrocious, [especially] the constant haranguing of the fourth official.
“I can guarantee that if that was in the opposite box, Simeone would be going apoplectic for a penalty. His behaviour, honestly, is awful,” said McManaman
Diego Simeone defends his actions and stance on Arsenal’s overturned penalty
Also speaking after the match, Diego Simeone confirmed that he did not believe that the second penalty call against his side should have been given, and also that he was skeptical over the Gunners’ first spotkick, too.
“In my opinion, the first penalty involved contact from behind, [Gyokeres] anticipated the contact and went down… in [Arsenal’s] second instance, thanks to VAR, it wasn’t a penalty… VAR sometimes gives you the benefit of the doubt and sometimes it takes it away.”
