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Arsenal star Bukayo Saka was seen engaging in a heated argument with the match referee after the latter denied him a last-minute penalty in the Champions League clash against Bayern Munich. In the match that ended with a 2-2 draw, Saka was denied a last-minute by Glenn Nyberg, as he sprinted through the goal and seemingly made contact with Manuel Neuer before going down on the ground. The 22-year-old was denied the spot-kick with the referee having decided that he had dived.
The spot-kick would have given the Gunners a 3-2 lead over their counterparts, and the decision by the referee left the winger furious. He engaged in an argument with the referee and continued his protests after the final whistle. The decision was initially believed to have been reviewed by VAR with the referee appearing to say that it had been checked. However, the pundits on TNT Sports doubted if the officials had properly investigated the incident.
Former footballer and pundit, Ally McCoist said about the referee’s decision, "I thought it was a penalty, I am telling you right now". "Here we see it, does he [Neuer] catch him? I’ll tell you what he does do, he [Saka] throws his foot in. He certainly catches him, but the wee fella throws his foot in. You know something, the referee might just have got that one correct because I don’t think Saka needs to throw his right leg into him," McCoist further added.
Not only this, but Martin Keown questioned the decision and said, "Wow. I thought it was a penalty. I thought the referee had a good game. There is a suspicion that Saka puts his foot towards the ball, but the movement from the goalkeeper, Neuer is actually going towards that ball and comes out and makes the challenge. For me that is a penalty all day long."
