Arsenal warned they were fortunate to escape a red card following William Saliba penalty controversy.

Arsenal’s players were left frustrated in their 1-1 draw with Brighton after referee Anthony Taylor awarded the Seagulls a contentious penalty.

Jorginho narrowly escaped a potential red card for lashing out at Joel Veltman during the buildup to Brighton’s controversial equalizer. The incident occurred as Joao Pedro converted the penalty, which was given following a clash of heads between Pedro and William Saliba in the box.

The decision sparked debate online, with many Arsenal fans expressing outrage. Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp highlighted Jorginho’s actions, noting that the midfielder was fortunate not to face harsher consequences. During the penalty clip, Jorginho appeared to kick out at Veltman, who fell to the ground after minimal contact. Redknapp remarked: “Jorginho was quite lucky here because if he catches him, he could have been in serious trouble and shown a red card.” Fellow pundit Steve Sidwell added, “It’s a bit of a lash out, and more contact could have led to bigger consequences.”

The Premier League later released a statement affirming that Taylor and VAR determined the clash between Saliba and Pedro justified the penalty. However, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta strongly disagreed, criticizing the decision in his post-match comments: “I’ve never seen that in my life. Saliba touches the ball. It wasn’t a penalty for me.”

Brighton’s head coach, Fabian Hurzeler, defended the call, arguing: “It was head-to-head contact, but if it were any other body part, it would clearly be a penalty. Joao Pedro played the ball with his head, and Saliba arrived too late, so it was a clear foul.”