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Furious Arteta rages over 'unacceptable' Sunderland penalty call

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed fierce frustration over a penalty decision given against his squad during their 2-0 triumph away to Sunderland. In the 54th minute, referee John Brooks penalized Ezri Konsa for restraining Dan Ballard inside the box, a ruling verified through a VAR review after officials agreed a holding infraction took place.

Despite the controversy, goalkeeper David Raya denied Enzo Le Fee from the spot, and Bruno Guimaraes put Arsenal ahead merely 121 seconds later.

Even with the away victory at the Stadium of Light, Arteta immediately addressed the incident in his post-match briefing, deeming the decision completely intolerable at this competitive tier. While commending the hosts for their structure and the intense atmosphere, the Spanish coach stated he had reviewed the sequence 20 times without being able to fathom how the foul was awarded or endorsed by video review.