'It's against the rules!' - Mikel Arteta vents FURY at Champions League officials over 'completely unacceptable' Eberechi Eze penalty decision

Arteta did not hold back in his post-match assessment after seeing a crucial penalty decision overturned at the Metropolitano. The incident occurred in the 78th minute when Eze - who came on as a substitute in the second half - was brought down by David Hancko, only for referee Danny Makkelie to reverse his original call after a lengthy VAR review.

"After going back into the dressing room, speaking to the boys and watching the penalty incident, it's extremely disappointing and annoying because it was against the rules and it changes the course of the tie," Arteta told TNT Sports. "I'm very, very upset. The whole sequence. There is clear contact. You make the decision, you cannot overturn that decision when you have to look at it 13 times. It's completely unacceptable at this level. It's the wrong decision."

The match itself was dominated by decisions from the spot, starting with Viktor Gyokeres opening the scoring for the visitors. The Swedish striker was fouled by Hancko in the first half and coolly converted his penalty to give Arsenal the lead. However, Atletico found a way back into the contest after the interval through their own spot-kick.

Julian Alvarez equalised for Diego Simeone's side after Ben White was judged to have handled the ball inside the area, with Arteta noting: "They have been consistent with that. If you are going to give a penalty for this kind of thing you have to accept it."

The decision to punish White has reignited the debate surrounding handball rules in European competition, particularly following similar drama in Paris earlier this week. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher took to social media to voice his concerns regarding the current officiating standards in the Champions League.

Carragher posted on X: "The Champions League is the best football by a mile, but these penalty decisions for handball really are a stain on the competition. Last [night's, during PSG vs Bayern] was worse but that should not be a penalty against White."

Despite the external noise, Arteta refused to confirm if a formal protest would be lodged regarding the incident involving Eze, stating: "I leave that to the club to decide what's the best thing to do. Now they're not going to give us a penalty. That's it. That's gone."

Despite the frustration of the Eze decision, Arteta remains optimistic about Arsenal's chances of reaching the final. He praised his players for their resilience in a hostile environment, noting that the stalemate in Madrid gives them a platform to finish the job in North London next week.

"I'm very proud, I said that to the boys, the way we handled the context for nine-and-a-half months, just remarkable," the Spaniard added. "I really value what they've done because I've seen some of the best teams in the world here fall apart and concede three and four. We didn't get the result that we wanted, and the way we planned the game, we wanted to win it. At least it is in our hands, in front of our people. We want to be in that final and in a week's time we are going to have the opportunity to do so."