Arteta: The Referee Made a Crucial Decision, and This is What We Showed

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta made press statements following the 1-0 victory over West Ham United in the 36th round of the English Premier League at the London Olympic Stadium.

The coach said in his speech: "I think we started the match excellently. We created three dangerous chances but couldn't score, then Ben White got injured and we had to make adjustments. Things weren't going well, and we had to substitute Calafiori at halftime, which was another change, so the situation wasn't ideal."

He added: "I think we showed great courage in making these changes and the players who came in. I believe we were rewarded for that because Martin Ødegaard did a great job that saved the match for us, in addition to David's save in the 70th minute."

He continued: "In the end, this is the beauty of the Premier League. Amidst all this chaos and with the goalkeeper in the penalty area, they managed to score. The referee and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) showed great courage today by stopping the play, analyzing it, and giving the referee the chance to make a decision. I think everyone will agree that it was a clear foul, because David was almost holding the ball in his hands, and they didn't allow him to do so, taking advantage of the opportunity to score the goal."

On waiting for the goal to be canceled: "My intuition, because I saw the incident live, was telling me it would be a foul. But I understand, and today I realized that referees have to be in that position and make that decision to change the course of the match. What a responsibility! What a crucial decision!"

He concluded about David Raya's save before Arsenal's goal: "If you want a chance to win big titles, you need special moments and actions, and players who create those magical moments. David, certainly - just like Martin Ødegaard - created a decisive moment that gave us the victory in the match."