“A tough one to swallow” - Ramsdale admits VAR frustration as inconsistent refereeing mars Arsenal vs Manchester City clash

Arsenal fans and players were left disappointed after their New Year’s Day clash against Manchester City in the Premier League. In a game that saw Arsenal dominate proceedings, the North Londoners ended up losing all three points.

The frustration felt in the Arsenal camp was perfectly encapsulated by the Gunners keeper, Aaron Ramsdale. The English goalkeeper told the press after the match about the frustration he personally felt with VAR inconsistencies on the day:

“I felt it was soft. The linesman said he didn’t think it was a penalty, but then they get told to go and check it by VAR. I’m more annoyed about the fact that they didn’t tell them to check ours in the first half on VAR. The referee might have said ‘no penalty’ anyway, but in game time, both times it was ‘no penalty’ for them and us, but he gets to go and check there’s and not ours. That’s where my frustration is, the inconsistency between one decision and the other.”

Ramsdale also admitted that the result was difficult to accept. He said:

"Yeah, it’s a tough one to swallow, we played so well, defended so well with 10 men, unlucky ricochet really and it falls to them and gets poked in. We’re deflated, but we’ve got to swallow it and move on because that’s football and we’ve got an important semi-final first leg coming up on Thursday."

Arsenal took the lead through the phenomenal Bukayo Saka and ended the first half in the ascendancy. Manchester City couldn’t handle the Gunners before a penalty conceded by Granit Xhaka saw City finally draw level. Brazilian defender Gabriel then got himself sent off a minute after the penalty for an unnecessary foul on Gabriel Jesus.

The Gunners held on until the third minute of added time but then Rodri fired Manchester City to all three controversial points. The result will be a hard pill to swallow for the Gunners, with Manchester City inexplicably avoiding conceding a penalty. Gabriel Martinelli will also rue missing a golden chance to increase Arsenal's goal tally and avoid a loss.

There are some moments that decide the game: Arsenal assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg rues loss to Manchester City

Manchester City stretched a ten-man Arsenal side long enough to score a last-gasp winner. Arsenal fans will have every reason to be upset about the loss, especially after the refereeing decisions that made the headlines after the game.

Arsenal assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg noted that his players performed well against a strong City side, but also noted inconsistencies with the referee and VAR:

"Well, upset about that we don’t end up with three points from this game. That’s the most frustrating part. At the same time, we are very proud about the performance of the players. But of course there are some moments that decide the game.

"You have the first moment with Odegaard in the first half which I think is a clear penalty or at least the referee has to come over to check, that happened in the second half with their penalty which is not really consistent."

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