Bukayo Saka was left furious he was not awarded a penalty in the final stages of Arsenal’s draw with Bayern Munich, though Ian Wright was not convinced the Gunners deserved a spot-kick
Ian Wright has backed referee Glenn Nyberg’s decision to wave away Bukayo Saka’s claims for a last-gasp penalty against Bayern Munich.
Saka was left furious he was not awarded a spot-kick when he collided with Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer late into injury time. But Nyberg was unconvinced that Neuer had fouled the Arsenal star and allowed play to continue.
A matter of moments later, the referee blew up for full-time while being surrounded by protesting Arsenal players. Saka jumped from being treated to confront Nyberg and chased after the official as he headed down the tunnel.
The Arsenal star even had to be held back by a member of the club’s coaching staff. But while Nyberg faced loud boos from the home fans, not everyone connected with the Gunners was convinced it should have been a penalty.
Club legend Ian Wright backed Nyberg’s decision to wave away Saka’s claims and put his focus on the second leg. Wright tweeted: “Not a pen for me. Work to do in Munich.”
Wright’s stance puts him at odds with the Gunners squad though. Supersub Leandro Trossard insisted his side should have been awarded a spot-kick, though admitted he had not seen a replay of the incident.
“On the pitch it looked like a penalty to me. I haven’t seen the replay but for me, it looked like there was clear contact but I will have to wait until after to see it again,” Trossard told TNT Sports.
Trossard’s stance and Saka’s anger was backed by Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand. The former England star was left in disbelief that Nyberg had waved away Saka’s claims for a penalty.
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“How has that not been given? I can’t believe it with VAR and everything. I can’t believe that has not been given,” Ferdinand fumed on TNT Sports immediately after the match.
“That man in your picture [Neuer], has got a life there. Saka today I thought was the most dangerous player for Arsenal. He is running through there, that is a penalty. I’m in the stadium, I can’t believe it.”
One of Wright’s former team-mates Martin Keown joined Ferdinand in his arguments. Keown was also furious, insisting that Neuer had created the contact with Saka.
He said: “Wow. From where 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.”
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
