Mikel Arteta was furious after Sunderland were awarded a penalty during Arsenal's 2-0 win at the Stadium of Light. The home side's spot kick in the 54th minute followed a decision that Ezri Konsa fouled Dan Ballard, confirmed by referee John Brooks and VAR. Arteta called the incident "unacceptable" and said it "cannot happen" at this level.

David Raya saved Enzo Le Fee's penalty, and Bruno Guimaraes scored soon after to open the scoring. Despite the result, Arteta vented his anger, stating he watched the incident 20 times and could not understand how a penalty was given. He described the decision as changing the course of the season and potentially costing a team the championship.

Arsenal sealed the win with a late Bukayo Saka penalty. Arteta, who was booked earlier for leaving his technical area, also told TNT Sports the incident resembled a "judo roll" and was not a penalty "in any case, in any context, in any league.".