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Arteta lashed out at VAR following Leicester defeat

Mikel Arteta on VAR
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Mikel Arteta is the last in a long list of people to find VAR’s calls suspicious after seeing his side succumb to a 1-0 loss to Leicester City.

Arsenal suffered a dismal 1-0 defeat to Leicester at the Emirates on Sunday evening, which means they have now lost three of their last four Premier League fixtures (W1).

Who else but Jamie Vardy propelled the Foxes to their first league triumph after back-to-back losses to West Ham and Aston Villa.

Vardy replaced Dennis Praet on the hour mark, and 20 minutes later, his flying header ended up in the back of Bernd Leno’s net, sealing three points for the visitors.

Things could have been different had VAR opted not to uphold the linesman’s raised flag five minutes into the game. Indeed, Alexandre Lacazette’s glancing header from a corner bounced off the far post to beat Kasper Schmeichel.

However, the Gunners’ joy didn’t last long, as the Frenchman’s goal was disallowed for an alleged offside against Granit Xhaka.

Although VAR’s sole purpose is to establish justice in football and help to minimize the referee’s potential mistakes, it has not been the case that often.

On the contrary, the infamous system has been under the spotlight on more than one occasion in the Premier League this season. And, the accusations are not coming from a good place.

Arsenal are the last team to fall victim to controversial calls from the VAR room. Their manager, Mikel Arteta, has refused to hide his frustration for seeing his side’s goal ruled out after another questionable decision.

“I’m really disappointed,” Arteta said after the game, as relayed by the Evening Standard. “We had it in our hands in the first half, and I don’t know how the hell the goal was disallowed.

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“They caught us with space at the back, and, at that moment, we lost the game.

“It is difficult to create spaces with ten men behind the ball, but we should have finished the game better. When it comes to those moments, you can’t give away chances at the back.

“We still had some moments after the goal but gave away too many free-kicks. The effort that the boys put in, and the pressure the Leicester team put you under, it’s not an easy thing to do, but we have to improve.”

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